Diana raced through the woods, alongside Paul, Sam, and Jacob. It was raining, and the wind whipped at Diana's hair, tangling it and leaving her scent everywhere she stepped. The group was currently chasing after Victoria... again. She had popped up not long after they had killed Laurent, and they had been steadily on her trail for the last two weeks, seemingly so close to catching her.
Diana knew better than to get her hopes up. She figured Victoria was toying with them, dangling herself in front of them like a piece of meat. She was having fun. Diana had tried explaining this to the pack, but they refused to listen to her.
"So what if she's playing her game? We'll be right there playing it with her until she slips up." Jared scoffed. Everyone else agreed.
So, here they were, chasing after their 'ghost' for the sixth time since Tuesday. It was Thursday...
The wolves barked and snapped at one another then dispersed. Diana rolled her eyes, wishing she knew what they were discussing. She leapt at a nearby tree and climbed, scouring the land with her hawk-like stare. There was a moment, as the sounds of the wolves faded away, where Diana couldn't hear anything- other than the usual birds and breeze.
A flash of red hair out of the corner of her eye and then she was being pushed off her perch. She landed, agile as a cat, and glared up at the red head. They stared each other down for a minute, Diana glaring and Victoria smirking, the latter tauntingly shaking her head.
"You're tiring yourselves out," Victoria sighed, "Won't make for much fun, too much longer."
"I think you'd be surprised, why don't you come down here and see how much fun I really am," Diana hissed. Victoria had done this a few times now, catching Diana off guard and entertaining a little chat. Diana was sick of it.
"Intriguing, but I don't think I will, besides, I've met several other packs like this one, they all give up eventually."
Diana ignored her, instead glancing around at the trees surrounding them, "So, you're using the trees, huh? That's smart, dogs can't climb trees all too well." Diana chuckled to herself, but she knew Victoria could hear her.
Victoria pretended not to hear her, instead, continuing her taunts, "And you've been imprinted on... by the dog. What's his name again? Paul?"
This caught Diana's attention and she whipped around to see Victoria had swung down a few branches, the older vampire was smiling softly. Diana's glare faltered and she furrowed her brows at the woman before her. She found it in herself to feel sad for Victoria, she was grieving the loss of her mate, the man she had spent centuries with- Diana could understand that.
"How sweet," Victoria sighed, looking off into the distance. "You were alone for so long, and now you have your lover, your reward for the treacherous life you've lived."
Then her eyes darkened and Diana took a step back as Victoria swung and landed on the ground in front of her. She had an unreadable expression on her face, but her eyes were so sad Diana had almost wanted to help her.
"I don't want to hurt anyone else's mate, I wouldn't wish the pain on anyone," she said softly, "-but I will not hesitate, if someone were to get in my way. Do you understand?"
Diana swallowed, "I know your pain, Victoria. I lost my mate decades ago, in an ambush..."
Victoria's eyes widened, but she made no move to say anything else. So, Diana continued, "I raged, I killed innocent people not for a meal, but for fun. And still, somehow, I was gifted, and now I have Paul. And I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost him, so, I'll heed your warning."
Victoria looked ready to leave, but Diana spoke up again, "But, I can't let you kill Bella."
Now Victoria looked angry again and she hissed a warning at Diana, who didn't blink an eye at the woman across from her, "And you should know, that if anything happened Paul..." Diana insisted, staring hard at Victoria, "-I'd kill myself, before I killed you."
Victoria looked stunned, and she opened her mouth like she wanted to say something then there was howling in the distance and shouts. Victoria gave Diana one last look, then she was gone and Diana was alone.
She started hiking through the woods, after the wolves, thinking about Victoria. She remembered feeling vengeful and murderous, she would've definitely killed the nomadic wolf pack that took Christopher away from her, had she been able to find them. But she never did find them, so she took to killing innocent humans who had no idea she was just a grieving woman.
Decades later, with an older, clearer mind, Diana could see where she had gone wrong- all the times she had gone wrong. She hated that innocent lives were taken simply because she was mad, she lost her temper, lost her lover.
Suddenly, Diana heard more barking and howls, they sounded angry and concerned, so she sped off in the direction they were coming from.
⎿✶⏋
Diana broke the treeline just in time to see Victoria beeline for the choppy ocean water. She dove in as Diana caught up with the wolves. When Victoria reappeared, she was hundreds of yards offshore. The wolves growled menacingly, prowling the beach. Paul approached Diana with a concerned look in his eyes and she ran her hand through his fur, smiling softly.
Sam yipped at them, and the three wolves trotted into the forest. Jacob and Paul came back out, a moment later, clad in their cut off shorts and tennis shoes, but Sam wasn't behind them. Paul swept Diana into a hug, nuzzling her neck.
"You're sad," he murmured. She shook her head and looked out to the ocean as he reluctantly let her go, "Just... disappointed."
"Sam went to go check on the others- we got separated a while ago."
Diana nodded, hoping everyone was alright.
Then, there was a scream and the group looked to the cliffs as a body fell into the ocean. Diana gasped and Jacob didn't need to be told twice before he leaped into the ocean and started swimming towards her, towards-
"Bella!" Diana yelled. She tore out of Paul's arms and raced up to the cliff. She found Bella's jacket, bracelets and bag. Diana felt so frantic that she might as well have been hyperventilating.
She glanced over the edge of the cliff, just able to make out the form of Jacob, frantically swimming towards Bella. She grabbed her friend's things and raced back down to the beach.
Paul had waited for her, and Diana dropped Bella's things on a nearby rock before she collapsed into Paul's arms, "I was supposed to protect her," she mumbled, "I was supposed to be there for her."
"Hey, this is not your fault, sugar. You were protecting her, out here, from Victoria. She chose to go hop off a cliff in the meantime and there is nothing you could've done about that."
Diana went to say something when Jacob shouted for her, "Diana!"
Diana turned and raced towards Jacob as he dragged Bella on-shore. She looked barely conscious when Diana collapsed in the sand next to her, Jacob started CPR. After that failed, he rolled her over onto her side.
"Breathe, Bella! C'mon!" He shouted, before hitting her on the back.
Bella's eyes shot open and she started spitting up water. Jacob didn't hesitate to take her jacket from Diana.
"Bella! Bella?" Diana asked.
"Bella? Can you hear me?" Jacob said, urgently. He was shaking and Diana could tell he had been just as worried, if not more, than she had.
"Jake?" Bella asked. Diana could see her eyes focusing on a relieved looking Jacob hovering over her.
Behind him stood Paul, "She'll be alright," he said, looking out at the water, scanning it. Diana could tell he sensed something, but she was more worried about Bella.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Diana snapped angrily, helping her friend sit up and slip her jacket on.
"I needed... to see... something..." she mumbled.
"What? The pearly gates? If we hadn't heard you scream-" Jacob started, ready to lecture until tomorrow.
Sam jogged out of the forest and towards the group, he noticed Bella and nodded to Jacob, "Get her home. I'm heading to the hospital. I'll meet you there."
Jacob nods, and Sam signals for Paul to follow him. Paul helped Diana to her feet, "Go with her, I'll come by later."
She nodded and kissed him, then he and Sam jogged off.
"Why would you jump? Didn't you notice it's like a hurricane out here?" Jacob asked, helping Bella to her feet.
She shrugged, "I know. It was stupid-," then she paused, "- wait, Sam said hospital - someone's hurt?"
"Harry Clearwater had a heart attack."
Bella gasped, "Oh my God- does my Dad know?"
Jacob nodded, "He and my dad are both over there."
"Will Harry be okay?"
"I don't know... Come on, I'll drive you home." As Jacob helped Bella walk, Diana turned toward the water, where she saw Victoria bob to the surface.
When she caught Diana's gaze, the redhead winked... then she disappeared below the surface.