The Phantom Wolf

Chapter 72 (Bree's Escape)

*3rd Person POV*

Bree's legs carried her forwards, reaching speeds she had never gone before. Two wolves were metres behind her. Their growls and snarls filled the air. It wasn't long before Bree could practically feel them breath down her neck.

One of them lunged towards her, trying to grab the deer carcass she held under her left arm. Bree just barely managed to avoid his advance.

Behind her, she could hear the unmistakeable sound of a wolf fight. Every bone in her body, told her to turn back around and assist her mate, but she ignored the call. Bree had made a promise to get this food back home. She intended to keep that promise, and had faith that Pearl would do the same.

Leaping over the fallen tree trunk she had used to speak with Pearl some weeks prior, Bree knew that she was getting close to home. She could smell her family's scent and smelt the unmistakeable odour of wet dog coming from the Black pack members.

Embry and Quil continued their relentless advance. They knew the law. They couldn't hurt her. But that didn't mean they'd let her get past with those deer corpses. They had to starve the Cullens. Allowing them a bit of leeway would boost the leeches strength, that couldn't happen. If it came down to a fight, the Cullens would have to be weakened in order for the Quileutes to win.

Taking a chance, Embry jumped onto a tree and used it as a launching pad to get to the fleeing vampire. He was able to successfully head-butt Bree into a rock. Which stopped the pursuit of the vampire.

Bree got to her feet immediately, and held the corpses in a firm grip against her body as she glared at the shifters, who were now blocking her path back home.

Embry and Quil stood before her, snarling viciously. Neither made a move to advance. With the way the vampire was holding onto the deer, there was no way to safely grab them from her without the risk of injuring the imprint. So the wolves only option was to keep her in one place, and prevent her from leaving.

Every time Bree made a small movement, Quil and Embry followed it perfectly with their eyes.

Being stared down by the massive wolves, unnerved her greatly. Frozen in place, all Bree thought about was how much she needed Pearl right now. But she could still hear the fight raging on in the distance. She knew that Pearl wasn't coming to help. Bree was on her own.

A piercing bark sounded from Embry's wolf, which caused Bree to instinctively flinch back. Seeing his opening, Quil lunged for a deer corpse.

In that moment, all Bree could do was suck in a breath and wait for impact.

But it never came...

Seth's wolf came barrelling through the woods, knocking Quil away from her. Bree saw her chance and ran towards the Cullen house once again.

Leah and Jacob, in their wolf forms, ran past the fleeing Bree and joined Seth in halting Embry and Quil's advance. Bree broke through the tree line of the Cullen's property at a high rate of speed. Unable to stop herself or slow down in time, Bree jumped through a window on the second floor. Loosing her footing as she landed, she rolled into a wall in the house and left behind a sizeable dent from the impact.

Rosalie immediately went to Bree's side and helped her up. Carlisle took the deer corpses Bree had delivered, and distributed them to Emmet and Jasper respectively, as they were in the most need of blood.

The Black pack reappeared from the trees. Quil and Embry were no where in sight. Jacob shifted back and entered the house in time to hear Bree's explanation of what happened.

"Where's Pearl?" Esme asks in a worried tone, after looking around and not being able to see the hybrid.

"She distracted them." Bree replied quietly, staring at the ground.

Before anyone could say anything in response, a loud crash was heard in the distance, coming from beyond the trees. It sounded like a large tree had snapped and been forced to the ground. Barking, howls and incessant snarling was picked up by the vampires and the shifters attuned hearing.

Bree attempted to leave Rosalie's hold in order to return into the forest to help her mate. Rose knew of her intentions and kept a firm grip on the young vampire.

"Let me go! Pearl needs help!" Bree shouted as she struggled in the blondes grip.

Rosalie's grip didn't falter, staring out into the forest, she spoke calmly. "You going back out there could get you killed."

"They didn't touch me!" Bree argued, still trying to fight her way out of Rosalie's arms.

"Bree. What if your presence distracts her?" Alice asks, worry underlying her tone.

"She's focused solely on her fight right now. If you show up, she's gonna worry more about you than herself." Edward states.

"But-" Bree tries to argue, but gets interrupted.

"Then I'll go." Emmet exclaims. As he tosses the now fully drained deer to the side. "I'm the strongest one here."

"No one is going anywhere." Carlisle shuts down the argument.

"Carlisle! Pearl's alone against five shifters! She needs help!" Emmet protests in frustration.

"I'm not denying that. She is facing extremely difficult odds. But she believed that she could handle it when she left. She had faith in her abilities. We need to do the same." Carlisle states firmly. His voice held concern but he did his best to reassure his worried family.

"Emmet" Jasper drew his agitated brother's attention once he had also finished his allocated deer. "Even if we were to leave to go and help, the chances of us actually reaching their fight without being intercepted by other pack members is slim to none. Plus, the more of us who leave the house, the less protection our family has here. All we can do is wait, and trust Pearl's abilities."

The family stared off into the dark forest, listening carefully for the fights outcome.