The Wolf's Vampire

Chapter Thirteen

Mkay stands with Alice in the woods, behind them Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie, one of Alice's visions has lead them to this moment. Mkay looks to Alice who's eyes are glazed over, intently watching something in her mind. The woods are all mist and shadows.

"You sure this is where you saw her?" Mkay asks looking around.

"She's almost here" Alice answers.

.............

In another part of the forest Victoria, in boots running in the rainy wet mud. But she falters, slowing to a stop... She inhales... Something smells wrong. She abruptly bolts in another direction.

................

Alice spins on Emmett and points.

"On your left" Emmett explodes to his left, Rosalie right behind him. Jasper and Carlisle go wide, looking to cut Victoria off, Esme, Mkay and Alice following up the rear. Victoria is racing through the trees, tense but not afraid. Escaping is what she's good at. She reaches a ravine – she doesn't break stride, just leaps across it—Carlisle pulls up short, yells to Emmett and Rosalie.

"Wait. She's in their territory"

"She'll get away" Rosalie complains.

"No...she won't" Mkay offers with a small smile. On the other side of the ravine, three giant wolves leap onto the scene and take up the chase after Victoria. The leader is black, enormous (Sam). A parallel chase ensues, the wolves and the Cullens keeping to their sides of the ravine, Victoria leaps back over.

"All ours now" Emmett teases. The Cullens pick up the pace. Emmett grabs hold of her shoulders and hair. They roll head over keester – Victoria uses the momentum to her advantage and flings Emmett off and over her into a tree. She takes the split second he's down to leap back over to wolf-land and keeps running.

"Emmett don't!" Esme warns. But Emmett seeing red flies over the ravine-the second his feet hit the other side, Paul-wolf turns to face him. There's a moment of standoff. It would be simple enough for Emmett to defuse the situation by jumping back-but that's not his style. Paul growls with bravado. That just makes Emmett smile. Victoria is at a safe distance now. She slowly looks back, surprised to see what is happening. She studies the conflict with curiosity. Paul and Emmett charge each other. BAM! They roll in dozens yards in the dirt.

"Paul!" Mkay snaps. "Stop it" Paul growls at Emmett again. "Stop" she begs, Paul looks to her. "Stop it" his eyes turn sad noting the upset in hers. He whines a little and she turns away looking to Rosalie who strokes her arm. Esme taking her hand on her other side.

...........................

Paul approaches the treaty line back in human form, Mkay stands waiting for him, but her shoulders are tense, her hands are balled into fists at her side. He slows slightly and waits for her.

"My brother" she whispers, he nods a little, he knew this would happen, Emmett is her biological brother, and he and Paul had almost really gone at it. And he'd seen the hurt in her eyes and he can never unsee that, and he can never regret it more. She turns to him. "He's my brother" Mkay snaps at Paul. "And you were going to hurt him" Paul steps towards her and she steps back flinching, he stops, his heart breaking. All those steps forward they took, and she's fallen back.

"I'm sorry" he tells her sincerely. "It was just...instinct"

"How long till that instinct tells you to hurt me?" she asks quietly.

"It wouldn't, M, you're my imprint" he answers. "M" he pleads with her.

"I just need some space" she whispers sadly starting to walk away. "Please" she adds when he starts to follow her, he stops and hangs his head.

"I am sorry" he assures her. "I would never purposely hurt you" he promises, she nods a little.

"Just give me some time" she carries on walking away, Paul watches her go sadly, each step she takes hurting him more.

.......................

Mkay walks into the Cullen house and heads up the stairs to her attic room, she just needs to disappear for a few days, to curl up and not exist.

"Mary Kate" Carlisle states from his office as she passes, she pauses and glances to him. "Do you feel up to talking with me?" he asks her softly, she takes a look around, sensing where the others are before nodding, she steps into the room and looks to Carlisle. "Emmett was at fault" he tells her. "Paul was defending the land he was born to defend, you cannot put the blame on him"

"Why are you defending him?" she asks him.

"Because you love him"

"Love does not exist" she argues.

"And yet you sound so unsure now when you say that" he offers warmly. "Mary Kate, we have been with you since the beginning, and we have never seen you as happy as you are with him in your life" he stands and she flinches a little. "I know it hasn't been easy for you, letting him in, but I am so proud of you"

"What is stopping him from doing something like that to me?" she asks him.

"Because he loves you" Carlisle offers. "The pain in his eyes when he saw how upset you were.....Mary Kate, that wolf adores you" she looks away clenching her jaw. "He won't ever hurt you" she looks down and shakes her head.

"I just need some space" she whispers and then leaves the study. Carlisle watches her go sadly. All he wants is for all his children to be happy.

.......................

Paul sits outside of Sam on the porch step staring out into the trees. He has no idea what he is supposed to do now. So he sits. And he waits. He'll wait for Mkay, right here, he'll wait. He'll just wait until she comes back. Because she has to come back. Because he doesn't know what happens when imprints walk away. Paul scratches at his cheek as his eyes actually dare threaten to cry. Sam stands behind him looking down at him worried. He remember what it was like being away from Emily, it physically hurt, but Mkay walked away for space, that's got to hurt more.