I stayed there longer than I meant to, just… watching. The fire crackled and spat, chewing through James' remains piece by piece until the smell of burning venom was the only thing in the air. It felt like hours, even though I knew it wasn't. Something about the flames kept pulling me in, hypnotizing me, holding me still.
When I finally shook myself free of it, more than half the wood had already collapsed into grey ash, James included.
I pulled off the shorts, tied them back to my leg like before, and shifted again. White fur rippled over my skin, the forest sharpening back into high-definition. I padded to the edge of the dying fire, turned my back, and kicked dirt over the embers until the hissing slowed. Then, just to be absolutely sure, I lifted a leg and peed on it.
Safety first.
I gave the mess one last approving nod, an enormous wolf head nod, which probably would've looked ridiculous to anyone watching, and trotted off into the trees.
I swept through the forests around Forks for nearly an hour, nose low, circling, cutting across old trails and fresh ones. But found nothing. Victoria's scent vanished near the river, like she'd evaporated into thin air. Smart. She must've realized sticking around after James went silent would mean certain death.
A low growl vibrated in my chest, filled with frustration, disappointment, and a lingering adrenaline buzz I couldn't quite shake.
Fine. Whatever. I'd get her next time.
I turned toward the Cullens' house and started running again, paws pounding the earth in a steady rhythm as I prepared to tell them the good news… and the bad.
…
I jogged the last stretch toward the Cullens' place, slowing only when the tree line came into view. One shift later, still getting used to the sudden feeling of breeze on my skin when the fur vanished, I yanked on my shorts and brushed pine needles out of my hair.
Stepping out of the woods, I walked up to the porch, raised my hand to knock…
And didn't even get to touch the door before it swung open instantly.
Edward stood there, filling the doorway like he'd been glued to it for the last ten minutes. Relief flickered across his face first, sharp and obvious. Then expectation settled in, tightening his jaw, his eyes scanning my expression like he was trying to read the answer before I said anything.
But he didn't get anything since Take On Me's chorus was already playing in my head unconsciously.
The rest of the Cullens were behind him; Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Alice, clustered around the living room like a silent firing squad. Rosalie and Esme were the only ones missing; probably still watching Charlie.
Bella was there too, sitting on the couch like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to move. Her hands twisted in her lap. She looked pale, even for her.
Edward finally stepped aside, low voice strained. "Mike. You're back."
No kidding.
I crossed the threshold, feeling every pair of eyes lock onto me like I was bringing a bomb inside.
"Yeah," I said. My throat felt tight. "I'm back."
Jasper tensed, probably catching the leftover adrenaline still swirling off me like heat waves.
Emmett leaned forward in his seat, eyebrows up. "Well? Did you find him?"
The room held its breath.
I exhaled slowly. "Yeah. I found him."
I was met with silence. Thick enough to choke on.
Edward nodded once, urging me quietly. "And?"
I swallowed hard, suddenly aware that I still smelled like smoke and dirt and vampire venom. "He's gone," I said. "James is dead."
The reaction hit like a ripple; shock, relief, disbelief, something dark and heavy threading under all of it.
Alice's eyes widened. Jasper's posture eased a fraction. Carlisle closed his eyes for a moment, like he'd been hoping for this outcome but refusing to expect it.
Bella didn't move. Didn't breathe. She didn't even blink.
Edward's expression shifted again, relief, gratitude… and something sharp I couldn't name.
Then he stepped closer. "What about Victoria?"
I broke eye contact, jaw clenching. "She ran," I said. "She probably knew staying meant she'd die too. She's gone for now."
No one spoke, because no one had to.
They all understood what that meant.
This wasn't over.
…
Carlisle was the one who finally stepped forward, calm the way only he could be. The others shifted subtly behind him, falling into place like he'd silently decided for all of them.
"Mike," he said gently, warm gratitude softening the edges of his voice, "thank you. Truly. What you did… you saved lives today."
I looked down for a second, unsure what to do with the knot forming in my chest. Killing someone, even someone like James, was still sitting strange and heavy inside me. It wasn't guilt or anything like that, it just felt weird how normal it all felt.
But Carlisle wasn't finished.
"We'll take it from here," he said with that quiet authority that made even Emmett straighten. "If you stay uninvolved in what comes next, Alice can use her ability again. Victoria's plans, or the absence of them, will become visible to us."
Alice nodded, expression tight with frustrated acceptance. "It's true. As long as Mike isn't part of the equation anymore, the future stops… glitching."
Edward shot her a sharp look, but she ignored him.
Carlisle continued, "The safest course, for Bella, for your family, and for all of us, is for you not to be directly connected to the next phase of this."
I felt a cold ripple slide through me.
The next phase.
As if Victoria was a natural disaster they were preparing for, not a murderous redhead with a grudge.
My hands balled into fists, not out of anger, but out of instinct. I didn't like the idea of stepping back. Not after everything I'd done today. Not after what almost happened at my parents' store.
But Carlisle's gaze was steady. Firm, without a hint of condescension.
"You've done enough, Mike," he said softly. "More than enough."
And for the first time since the fight, I realized how exhausted I actually was, not physically, but mentally.
But even with all the mental exhaustion I still tried to push back.
"I can still find her," I said, heat rising in my voice. "If she's running, that's even better for me. I can track her faster than any of you can…"
Alice suddenly stiffened and cut me off, her voice sharp enough to slice through the room.
"No, you can't."
Everyone turned to her. Even Edward's expression tightened.
Alice stepped closer, eyes distant in that uncanny way she got when she was watching futures flicker. "She's moving through crowds," she said. "Cities. Busy areas. She keeps weaving around people, avoiding cameras, avoiding open spaces… but she's sticking close to civilization."
I frowned. "Why? That's the opposite of hiding."
"It makes her harder to follow," Alice said. "She's intentionally staying where a giant wolf would be… impossible to miss."
That one shut me up hard.
My shoulders slumped a fraction. She wasn't wrong. A massive white wolf trotting through a strip mall or a bus station would be about as subtle as a marching band.
Alice continued, voice softer now. "She hasn't decided where she's going yet. She's just… leaving. Getting as far from Forks as she can. As fast as she can. Every choice she makes steers her in a different direction, so the moment I try to lock onto an outcome…"
She snapped her fingers. "It blinks out. Changes."
"And the more you're involved," Edward murmured, glancing at me, "the harder it gets. You being part of her possibilities scrambles everything."
I gritted my teeth.
So she was terrified enough of me to bolt into crowds… but not stupid enough to run in a straight line.
Great.
Jasper watched me from the side, his expression unreadable but his aura pushing a quiet calm at me, like he was afraid I'd storm out and go howl at traffic.
Part of me wanted to, but another part knew Alice was right.
Still didn't mean I had to like it.
I exhaled slowly, trying to swallow the frustration grinding at my ribs. "Fine," I said at last. "I'll back off. But the moment she makes any move, at all, someone tells me. She's not just after Bella. She knows about my family now. I'm not leaving them undefended."
Carlisle nodded, calm and steady as ever. "Of course. We'll keep you informed."
That was as much reassurance as I was going to get.
I turned toward the door. "Alright. I should head out…"
There was a sound behind me, and Bella shot to her feet. "Wait. Could you… take me home? If that's okay?"
She wasn't looking at me. At all. Her gaze ping-ponged between the floor, the window, the ceiling, anywhere except the half-naked guy standing in her boyfriend's living room. Her cheeks were pink.
Right. I was still in my shorts. Only shorts.
"Oh. Uh, yeah. Just… let me borrow the bathroom."
Emmett guided me down the hall; doing his best not to laugh at how awkward I looked. A minute later I was tugging on my clothes, grateful for fabric and dignity, and then Bella and I stepped outside.
I heard Edward's whisper behind her, low and velvet-smooth, "I'll be waiting in your room." She nodded, and we left.
…
The hum of the engine filled the silence for a long stretch of road. Bella stared out the window; I kept my eyes ahead.
Halfway home, she finally spoke.
"Thank you," she whispered. "But you didn't have to get involved. This is, this is all because of me. I put you in danger. And if you hadn't… imprinted on me, you wouldn't be in the middle of any of this. I'm sorry."
I tightened my grip on the wheel. "Bella, no. That's not how imprinting works. We don't choose who it happens with."
She winced. "I know, but…"
"And even without the imprint," I continued, softer now, "I'd still have helped you. Because you're my friend. That part isn't complicated."
She glanced over, uncertain, almost hopeful.
"I just wish my family hadn't almost been dragged into this," I muttered.
"What do you mean?" she asked immediately.
I hesitated. I really didn't want to put extra fear in her voice, but lying wouldn't help anything.
"When I found James," I said, "he was going for my parents."
Her breath hitched. "Oh my god, how? Why?"
"I don't know exactly," I admitted. "But if I had to guess… he probably found where I took down Laurent. There would've been traces there. Scent, venom, fur. And James was a tracker, like, a real one. A natural hunter. If he picked up my trail from that spot, he could've followed it straight back to me."
"And to your family…" she whispered.
"Yeah."
The road stretched out ahead of us, dark and wet and quiet.
I kept driving.
And Bella didn't say another word until I dropped her off.
A short thanks, followed by an awkward hug that was all Bella, and she was gone into her house.
…