102- Snow

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Time continued to pass with our little family. Charlotte grew every day, and soon we had a toddler on our hands. As the month of November passed, we saw her turn into a child. By the beginning of December, she looked to be 8 or 9, far off from the few months old she should have been.

With December came the snow, something Charlotte loved more than anything. She asked us to take her out into the snow every chance she had. We almost always said yes, and enjoyed the simplicity of playing in the snow with her.

One day we went a little farther from the house than we usually would. It was just Seth, Charlotte, and I playing in the snow because Jasper was hunting with some of the family.

Seth was in his wolf form, something Charlotte loved even more than snow. He followed Charlotte around as she threw snow into the air and then jumped super high to catch it. I watched the two of them interact with a smile on my face. Both of them loved the other. That much was clear. I was so happy that they both cared for each other and that Seth wanted to protect her even more than I did.

As I watched Charlotte jump up to catch a snowflake, I felt an overwhelming feeling of anxiety from far off. I turned toward where the feeling was coming from, trying to see who was coming. It took me a minute before I could place the person.

"Charlotte, can you stay with Seth for a second," I asked her. "I think someone is here to talk."

"Of course," she said, standing next to Seth to wait for me.

I ran toward the familiar person, eager to meet them. We were a ways off, and I could barely see Charlotte and Seth, but I knew they were there. I turned my attention to the person in front of me.

"Irina," I said, surprised to see her. "It's great to see you."

"You too," she replied, keeping her distance. "I have been away for a while, and Eleazar said there was someone I should meet here."

"He probably meant Charlotte," I told her. "Everyone else has met her, but you've been gone, and no one wanted to bother you. She's just in that field playing." I stepped toward Charlotte and Seth as Irina stepped to follow me.

"Is there a wolf down there?" she asked, not following me any closer. "I can smell it."

"Well, Seth is down there," I said, not understanding her problem.

Irina scoffed, not wanting to come closer. "How can you stand to be around them?" she asked, outraged. "They are below us."

"First of all, Jasper and I adopted Seth, so don't talk about him like that," I told her. "Secondly, you do realize I am a wolf, too, right?"

This silenced her, meaning she did not know that.

"I'm half-wolf, Irina. I was originally a wolf hybrid, then Laurent bit me and turned my human half into a vampire."

"That cannot be true!" She yelled, slowly getting angrier. "Laurent would never harm you, and Jasper would never get with a wolf!"

"If you've come here to insult me and my family, then I will have to ask you to leave." Irina was pissing me off, and I decided I didn't want her to meet Charlotte anymore.

Of course, my wishes were never granted. I could feel Seth's anxiousness before I realized he was carrying Charlotte closer to see Irina. I was sure Seth didn't recognize her as the one who hated wolves; otherwise, he wouldn't have come closer.

Irina turned to look at the two of them coming closer just after I did, only for her to take a sharp breath. "How dare you!" she yelled before suddenly speeding away.

I could have chased after her, but I was more worried about why Charlotte and Seth were coming closer. I focused on Edward's ability, wanting to read Seth's mind.

'She wanted to meet the stranger,' Seth told me. 'But it seems we scared her off.'

"That was Irina Denali," I told the two as they made it to me. "She was upset about something, though, and sped away before I could introduce her to you. I think we should head home now."

The three of us made our way home, where Edward was waiting for us. "She did what?" he asked me as we walked into the living room.

"It was weird, right?" I asked him, still not understanding why she freaked out. "She also didn't know I was half-wolf, which I feel like she should have known."

"What happened?" Noah asked, not liking the cryptic conversation Edward and I were having.

"Irina came and met us while Charlotte was playing," I said, getting everyone's attention. "But then she said she didn't know I was half-wolf, she insulted the whole family, and then freaked out when she saw Charlotte and Seth even though I told her Seth was there."

"Relax." I felt Jasper's arms wrap around me as he pulled me closer to him. I didn't even realize how wound up I was until I felt him calm down my nerves. "Irina's unpredictable sometimes. I'm sure it'll all be okay."

"I hope so," I mumbled.

I watched as Alice entered the room holding a new plant. She had recently been decorating the house with new plants, stating they added liveliness to the house. I was enjoying the pretty flowers when she dropped the vase, gasping.

Noah was by her side in seconds, recognizing that she was having a vision. "What is it?" he asked her gently.

Alice came out of the vision, confusion clear on her face. "Irina went to Volterra," she said, silencing the family. "But I don't know why or what happens."

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