Behind Enemy Lines

Chapter Twenty-Three

Carlisle gave me a gentle, understanding smile. "Would you like to watch?" he asked, his compassionate voice a stark contrast to the earlier family conflict.

I nodded, grateful for the distraction. Whatever had happened, whatever Edward had done, these were still the people who had raised me. Who had loved me. Who, despite everything, were still my family.

As we settled in to watch the game, the familiar crack of bat meeting ball echoed through the clearing. Emmett's booming laughter filled the air as he rounded the bases, while Alice danced gracefully between positions. For a moment, I could almost forget the chaos of the past few days.

Then Alice froze mid-pitch, her eyes going wide and vacant. The ball dropped from her hand.

"Stop," she whispered, but her voice carried across the clearing with supernatural clarity.

Every vampire on the field went still. Bella grabbed my arm instinctively.

"Alice?" Carlisle's voice was sharp with concern.

"They're coming," she said, her voice hollow. "Three of them. They heard us playing."

Edward was beside Bella and me in an instant, his face a mask of barely controlled panic. "How long?"

"Minutes," Alice replied, her golden eyes still unfocused. "Maybe less."

The clearing erupted into controlled chaos. Emmett and Jasper flanked the edges, while Carlisle and Esme moved to defensive positions. Rosalie appeared at my other side, her protective instincts overriding our recent conflict.

"We need to get them out of here," Edward said, his voice tight.

"No time," Emmett growled, his playful demeanor completely gone. "They're already here."

Three figures emerged from the tree line with predatory grace. The leader—a woman with wild red hair—smiled as she surveyed our group. Her companions, a blonde man with cruel eyes and a dark-skinned vampire who seemed almost reluctant, flanked her on either side.

"Well, well," the redhead said, her voice like silk over steel. "What do we have here? A little family gathering?"

"Victoria," Edward said, his voice barely above a whisper.

James, the blonde, inhaled deeply, his eyes scanning until they landed on Bella and me. His smile was predatory.

"We don't want any trouble," Carlisle said diplomatically, stepping forward. "We were just leaving."

"Oh, but we're just getting acquainted," Victoria purred. Her eyes locked on me, and I felt ice run through my veins.

Laurent, the third vampire, looked uncomfortable. "Perhaps we should—"

"Should what?" James interrupted, his attention now fully focused on us. "Leave without properly introducing ourselves?"

The tension was suffocating. I could feel the supernatural energy radiating from both sides, predator and protector locked in a deadly standoff.

Then, from the forest behind us, came a sound that made my heart leap with both relief and terror—the distinctive howl of wolves.

Paul burst from the tree line in his massive gray wolf form, followed immediately by Sam, Jared, and three other pack members I didn't recognize. They positioned themselves in a protective semicircle around Bella and me, their lips pulled back in silent snarls.

Victoria's eyes widened with genuine surprise. "Werewolves. How... unexpected."

"The treaty," Laurent said urgently to his companions. "We're on their land."

"Treaties can be... renegotiated," James said, but his voice had lost some of its earlier confidence.

Paul's wolf form pressed closer to me, his massive body radiating heat and barely contained violence. I could feel his protective fury through our bond, and it was both terrifying and comforting.

"You're outnumbered," Sam's voice rang out as he phased back to human form, not bothering with modesty as he stood naked and unashamed. "Leave. Now."

Victoria's laugh was like breaking glass. "This isn't over," she said, her eyes moving between Bella and me. "We'll be seeing you both again very soon."

The three nomads melted back into the forest as quickly as they had appeared, leaving behind only the lingering scent of danger and the promise of future violence.

The clearing remained silent for several long moments, vampires and werewolves eyeing each other warily despite having just worked together.

"Thank you," Carlisle said finally, addressing Sam directly.

Sam nodded curtly. "The girls are under our protection now too."

Edward's jaw clenched. "We can protect our own."

"Can you?" Paul had phased back, pulling on the shorts Jared tossed him. His dark eyes were blazing with a fury unlike any other. I had told him everything about the recent family drama.

Flashback

"They manipulated your entire family?" Paul's voice was low, dangerous. The air around him seemed to shimmer with barely contained rage.

I nodded, watching his hands carefully. Years of living with supernatural beings had taught me to recognize the signs of an impending transformation. "Edward convinced my mom to push me away. He used Alice's visions as a weapon."

"I'm going to kill him," Paul said flatly.

Jared, who had been listening nearby, stepped forward. "Not helping, man. We can't start a war with the Cullens."

Sam, ever the voice of reason, cleared his throat. "The treaty is delicate. Any direct confrontation could expose us all."

Paul's hands were shaking now, the classic precursor to an uncontrolled shift. I reached out and touched his arm, feeling the intense heat radiating from his skin. "Paul, look at me."

His eyes, burning with fury, locked onto mine. Slowly, methodically, his breathing began to steady.

"We'll handle this," I said softly. "But not with violence. Not like he did."

The clearing remained charged with supernatural tension, vampires and werewolves united only by their shared confusion and nascent conflict.

Paul's muscles remained coiled, ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation. His eyes darted between the Cullens and the forest where the nomads had disappeared.

"They'll be back," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.