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CHAPTER EIGHT ʀᴀᴄɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴡᴏʟᴠᴇs
Jacob lingered by the door, sensing Edward's eagerness to talk. He'd been at the house for days in a row, letting Seth and Leah guard the perimeter. Something had made Sam's pack ease their own patrols. The two siblings had ended their screaming and Alice found me as Edward found Jake, taking my arm and spinning me toward the front door.
"Edward and Carlisle are talking to Jake. He's going to help the boy and Esme go hunting tonight," she said, taking my hands in both of hers. "You've gone longer without it than all of us."
I could sense what she wanted. The hunger must have been showing on my face as not once had I mentioned the fatigue caused by the lack of sustenance. I could last longer than most without the boost given by blood. It was one of the benefits of my human-esq gift, but I was not exempt from the curse of the craving for blood, nor was I invincible.
"That's because I can," I said, shaking my head. "I can wait a little longer."
Alice's shoulders sunk. "Please go. You need your strength. Rosalie and I will stay with Bella, and Edward would never leave. Please, Elide, it's been weeks."
"Okay," I said, pausing to glance to Esme who waited to speak to me as the three boys left to gather in the clearing beside the house. "I'll be quick, though. I don't like the idea of leaving."
"I know you don't," she said, smiling at my agreement. "That's why I pulled out the pleading. Besides, Seth won't let anything happen to you. I think he has a little crush on you."
I left for the first time in days, not at all surprised by her conspiracy. Alice gave me a kiss on the cheek and then dragged me to Esme, who looped her arm around mine.
"There's nothing to worry about," she said, her voice sounding more motherly than ever thanks to the current situations.
"I know, but I can never seem to help it," I said, tilting my head. "Worrying is built into my genes."
"Let's just try to enjoy this hunt," Esme said. "We're of no use to Bella when we're weak and hungry."
In the past weeks, the sky had begun to darken significantly, with daytime turning into one long evening before night reached. It was easier to move during the night. There would be no people hiking through the woods, especially now that the temperatures were reaching minus, and as we ran it was easier to blend in as blurs of wind. But when it was made easier for us, it was also made easier for the wold pack. Their coats of brown and black were now harder to spot amongst the smudges of earthy colours. The only thing that gave them away was the pounding of heavy poors against the ground, and even then, they somehow managed to muffle it until they were only a few metres away.
As we sprinted out into the woods, Jacob, Leah and Seth edged to run in a wide circle around us, creating an area of protection about fifty metres in radius. Their scents were distracting, as was the sound of their beating hearts, quickened by their movement. But when I caught the first draft of deer, the distraction disappeared. It was only then, that I realised the true extent of my hunger. My stomach was sickened- not by illness but by a trickery of the mind, urging me to hunt.
I surpassed Esme and Carlisle, reaching Emmett and Jasper's side. They'd caught the same trail and were racing to be the first to reach it. I returned their smiles and was shooting forward before they'd even realised I was joining their competition.
The trail lead north, dangerously close to where we knew the pack had the potential of being. But Leah and Jacob ran in front of us, guiding around the trees, mapping the areas they knew were safe, and we were desperate, and the scent of the deer was too strong, too promising to resist.
I parted from the four Cullens. That was my first mistake. It was as I swerved to the side, dodging after the fleeing animal, that we were separated. The rival wolf seemed to come out of nowhere, bounding through the dark trees on crashing paws. Neither Leah nor Jake was in sight. In the distance I could hear a growl- Jakes, I recognised it to be, and I knew that we'd all be caught.
The wolf hurtled down toward me, sending my body flying toward the base of a tree trunk. As soon as I landed, I stood again and dodged to the left, evading the wolf only once as I found the trail of the deer. My second mistake. It was stupid, sliding along after the scent in hope of feed and gaining something akin to a powerup. The wolf had sensed my direction. He leapt to the side, landing in front of me before I'd realised his plan.
Paws were thrown against me again but this time I held on, nails clenching around the wolf's leg, throwing him off target. Before the wolf could move to attack again, a great mound of fur came barreling toward him, knocking into the chest of the wolf, sending against the muddy ground. The second wolf- Seth, I recognised from the light brown of his coat- lifted his head and growled in warning. Following his want, I fled.
Neither Esme and Carlisle nor Emmett and Jasper were at the house when I arrived. I feared the worst when a scream erupted from inside, the pitch so delayed that I couldn't tell from whose lips it fell from. I was inside within seconds.
The living room was empty, leaving an ominous sight. A cup of blood was discarded messily on the floor and the lights were on full force. A shout rang from Carlisle's medical room, where I found them all: Bella was flat against the hospital bed, her stomach bared and bony hands gripping the metal railings. Beside her, Rosalie held a bloodied scalpel in her trembling hand. Her head lifted and she took one look at her brother.
"Edward..."
"Get Rosalie out!" Edward screamed. "Get Rosalie out!"
Both Alice and I leapt forward, arms wrapping around Rosalie's shaking body. The scalpal clattered to the floor with a clang, scattering flakes of red against the carpet. She heaved forward against our arms, fighting her own urges, keeping her eyes glued shut. We managed to place her against the settee, our arms acting as tied restraints, locking her to the chair.
"I thought I was strong enough," she said, her eyes closing tightly again when Bella's last weak shout rang out. "I thought I was strong enough."
The house fell to a sombre quietness. Only Rosalie's sounds of concentration and Edwards murmurs of encouragement filled the space. No sound came from Bella as the empty syringe of venom fell to the table.
But then the sound of a baby's cry filled the space, and Rosalie's strength was regained.
