I'd gotten picked up by Embry right at the mall as Alice and Jasper continued to shop and pick out things for me.
Embry's truck rumbles down the darkening reservation roads, his warm hand wrapped around mine. The moonstone at my throat feels a tad heavy.
"You smell different today," he says carefully, thumb tracing patterns on my palm. "Like crystal and honey."
Alice and Jasper. I should have known their scent would linger. "I went shopping after school."
His smile is gentle but knowing. "With the Cullens."
Before I can respond, we pull up to Sam and Emily's house. The pack is already gathered, their usual boisterous energy replaced by something more serious. Seth's normal bounce is subdued, and Paul paces the length of the porch like a caged animal.
Emily meets us at the door, her scarred face drawn with concern. "They found fresh trails," she whispers, pulling me into a quick hug. "All over Forks."
The living room feels too small for so many large, tense wolf-boys. Sam stands at the center, emanating alpha energy that makes the air feel thick.
"The redhead's getting bolder, as annoyingas that is" he announces without preamble. "Testing boundaries, leaving obvious trails. Like she wants us to know she's watching."
"Not just her," Paul cuts in, his hands shaking slightly. "That tracker's back too. James."
The name sends ice through my veins. Embry must feel me tense because his arm slides around my waist, pulling me closer to his warmth.
"They're circling something," Jacob adds from his position by the window. His eyes flick to me briefly. "Or someone."
"Multiple someones," Sam corrects. "The trails lead to both Swan houses, plus the Cullen property."
Both Swan houses? Does Bella have 2 houses? ...Oh are they talking about me?!
"It's like they're mapping out connections," Embry says quietly. "Learning patterns."
"We're doubling patrols," Sam continues. "No one goes anywhere alone, especially..." his eyes meet mine meaningfully, "those under pack protection."
Embry shifts beside me, his nostrils flaring slightly. There's something in his expression—confusion mixed with concern. The vampire scent on me isn't just the Cullens, and I can tell he knows it, even if he can't identify its source. His arm tightens around my waist, protective and perhaps a little possessive.
"I can take watch," Paul volunteers, his usual aggression tempered by genuine concern.
"There's something else," Emily speaks up. "Something... different in the woods lately. Tell her what you found, Seth."
The youngest wolf straightens. "It's not just James and Victoria's trails we're finding. There's another scent sometimes, one we don't recognize. Never crosses our borders, but..." he glances at me, "it seems to circle certain areas. Like it's watching too, but differently."
My heart skips, thinking of Laurent. Embry's hand finds mine, his thumb tracing my palm as he studies my face.
"You okay?" he asks softly. "Your heart's racing."
"Just worried," I manage, which isn't entirely a lie.
"The unknown vampire concerns us," Sam continues, his alpha voice steady. "We can't tell if it's with James and Victoria or... something else entirely."
If they only knew that "something else" was going on evening rants with me in wooded forest.
"We should tell the Cullens," Jacob suggests reluctantly. "About the new scent, I mean. As much as we hate to admit it, we need unified protection right now. They could kill more towns people."
"Already done," Sam confirms. "Dr. Cullen says they've noticed it too. They're as puzzled as we are."
I wonder suddenly if Alice and Jasper have told their family about Laurent, or if they're keeping my secret even from their own coven. Nah that's stupid.
The meeting continues, talk of patrol schedules and territorial lines washing over me as I think about the complex web I've woven. Embry's warmth at my side feels like a tether to safety, but the moonstone at my throat reminds me of other loyalties, other secrets.
"Just stay close to us," Embry murmurs into my hair as the meeting winds down. "Whatever's out there, whatever's coming... we'll protect you. ...I'll protect you, with my life."
The fierce conviction in his voice makes my heart ache. If he knew about Laurent, would that protection waver? Would he understand? Would he still like me?
As if sensing my troubled thoughts, he pulls me closer. "I can smell your anxiety," he says softly. "There's something you're not telling us, isn't there?"
A while later, The drive home feels weighted with unspoken questions. Embry keeps my hand in his, his thumb tracing absent patterns that feel like worry made tangible.
"You know you can tell me anything," he says finally, breaking the rain-filled silence. "The imprint... it means I'll understand. Or try to, at least."
I watch raindrops race down the passenger window, thinking of red eyes and poetry, of cold hands and French whispers. "Some things are complicated. Very complicated. " I speak in a low and awkward way.
"Like the vampire scent that isn't quite Cullen?" His voice is gentle, free of accusation. "The one that clings to you sometimes, even when you haven't been near em?"
My heart stutters. He feels it through our joined hands.
"I'm not angry," he says quickly. "Worried, yes. Confused, definitely. But..." he lifts our joined hands, pressing a warm kiss to my knuckles, "I trust you. Even if I don't understand everything yet."
The moonstone feels heavy against my throat, Alice's warnings mixing with Laurent's message in my mind. Before I can respond, movement in the trees catches my eye—a flash of red hair, gone too quick to be certain.
Embry tenses, clearly seeing it too. His truck accelerates slightly.
"They're getting to bold ," he mutters, then glances at me. "Promise me something?"
"What?"
"No more solo walks in the woods. Not until we figure out what game James is playing." He pauses, then adds softly, "And maybe... maybe tell me about the other vampire sometime? When you're ready?"
The trust in his voice makes my chest ache. I think about all the things that could go wrong. This weird shit with James isn't making things any easier.
"Soon," I promise, meaning it despite my fear. "I'll tell you everything soon. Promise."
As we pull up to my house, I see a familiar silver Volvo parked down the street. Alice stands in my bedroom window, her pixie silhouette clear against the stained glass. Behind her, Jasper's tall form radiates protective energy.
As we pull in, Embry's jaw tighten. Alice and Jasper materialize on my front porch with supernatural grace, Alice wrinkling her perfect nose dramatically.
"Ugh, wet dog," she teases, but her golden eyes are kind despite her words. "No offense, wolf-boy."
"None taken, pixie," Embry returns with surprising warmth. Something about the current dangers has softened the usual vampire-wolf antagonism.
Jasper's presence radiates calm, though his stance is alert, protective. "We need to talk," he says simply.
"I should go," Embry starts, but I catch his hand.
"Stay?" The word comes out more pleading than I intend. "Just awhile.Please?"
Alice and Jasper exchange a look I can't quite read. "Actually," Alice says, "maybe you should. What we need to discuss affects the pack too."
"Plus," Jasper adds with a slight smirk, "you'll hear it all eventually anyway, given how your minds are connected."
A note from Aunt Rose sits on the kitchen counter: 'Late shift at the diner. Leftover lasagna in the fridge. Love you! - R'
The normalcy of it feels almost surreal as I lead two vampires and a werewolf up to my room. The stained glass casts jewel-toned shadows across their impossibly beautiful faces—Alice perched gracefully on my window seat, Jasper leaning against my vanity with casual elegance, while Embry settles on my bed, pulling me close like he needs the contact to ground himself.
"Your scents are giving me a headache," Alice announces, but her tone is playful as she jokes awkwardly. "Wolf, vampire, human... it's like a perfume counter in here."
"Speak for yourself, pixie," Embry retorts, but there's no real heat in it. His arm around my waist tightens slightly. "So what's so urgent?"
Jasper's expression grows serious. "James was at the school today. Not just passing by—watching. Learning patterns."
"We know," Embry's voice rumbles against my side. "Seth saw him."
"What you don't know," Alice continues, her golden eyes fixing on me, "is what he was watching for. It's not like with Bella—this isn't about hunting. He's... intrigued. By her connections to... well us. By the way she draws us all in. Nosy is something you could call it"
I feel Embry tense beside me. "What do you mean, draws us all in?"
Alice's eyes unfocus slightly. "Think about it. She has the pack's protection through your imprint. Our family's interest through... various connections." Her eyes flick to me meaningfully, and I think of this morning's intimate moment. "And there's something else... some other supernatural presence that keeps flickering at the edges of my visions."
My heart skips at the careful way she avoids mentioning Laurent directly. Embry notices both my reaction and Alice's deliberate vagueness.
"The unknown vampire scent," he says slowly. "The one that isn't yours, isn't James or Victoria. You know who it is, don't you?"
"We know some things," Jasper acknowledges carefully. "But it's not our secret to tell."
The room fills with tension. I can feel Embry wanting to press further, can see the questions building behind his dark eyes. But instead of demanding answers, he simply pulls me closer, his warmth a stark contrast to the cool air drifting through my cracked window.
"James finds this fascinating," Alice continues. "A human at the center of so so much attention. He's like a collector who's found a rare specimen—he wants to understand how she does it, why we all feel drawn to ...protect her."
"And Victoria?" I ask, remembering that flash of red in the forest.
"Jealous," Jasper says simply. "Of the attention James is paying you. Which makes her unpredictable. Dangerous."
"So what do we do?" Embry's voice carries that alpha-in-training authority. "The pack's already doubled patrols."
"We coordinate," Alice says firmly. "Vampires and wolves working together—it's unprecedented, but so is this situation."
"James won't expect it either," Jasper adds, the tactical soldier evident in his tone. "Natural enemies cooperating? It might make him hesitate. Or even better give up so many against just 2, it would ,ake sense."
Thunder crashes outside, making us all jump slightly. The rain picks up, drumming against the stained glass and creating a private atmosphere in my room. For a moment, we all sit in contemplative silence—ancient enemies united by their connection to one very complicated human girl.
"There's something else," Alice says finally, her voice soft. "Something coming that I can't quite see. The future keeps shifting, like..."