CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Zora was cold.

She hadn't felt the cool burning of a frigid breeze in so long, hadn't shivered against the chill of pouring rain, but now, wherever she was, her body trembled as she lay against something hard and icy.

It was peculiar at first, and then terrifying as the rest of her senses filtered in slowly, her nose picking up a nauseating, overly-sweet scent. She knew it well—too well—as her fight with the bloodsucker rushed back to her. He hurt her more than she anticipated, but she won in the end, separating his head from his neck and reducing him to a pile of skin and bone. She won, though she was well aware it would be a short-lived victory. He wasn't truly dead, his regenerative ability allowing him to put himself back together thanks to her lack of fire.

So, she was frightened – was she cold because she was dead? Had the leech killed her after all? Had he torn her apart the way she'd done to him, her entrails splayed across the forest floor? Or was she in some sort of hell, her eternal torture consisting of darkness and vampire stink instead of flames and demons? Her mind was endlessly wracked with questions and disturbing images, but her inner turmoil ceased as she felt a rumble of laughter that wasn't her own.

"You have quite the creative mind."

Wait – she knew that voice. Smooth as silk, deep and alluring. Her eyes flew open, blinded momentarily by sunlight, and then focusing on the mirthful grin of Edward Cullen. Immediately, she realized that she was cold not because of the hard, icy ground but because of the hard, icy arms she was enveloped in.

"I was hoping the shirt may help with the chill," he said, gracefully leaping over a fallen tree trunk as he held her in a bridal carry. "My apologies."

She glanced down at herself and noticed she was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, its hem stopping mid-thigh. Though the thin material blocked some of his coldness, the shirt wasn't long enough to cover the backs of her legs. The iciness of his skin sat directly against the warmth of hers, making her teeth chatter. Her eyes then traveled the length of his arm that supported her legs, widening as she saw it connected to a bare shoulder. She stared at his sparkling chest and screamed.

"Why are you shirtless?!"

"You had already phased by the time I got to you. It would have looked highly inappropriate if I delivered you nude."

Face blazing, she struggled in his tightened grip, attempting to free herself and wincing when her injured body twanged in pain. "It already looks highly inappropriate."

"A 'thank you for saving my dear, precious life' would suffice, you know."

"Don't hold your breath, pretty boy."

"I can if you'd like me to. I don't need oxygen to survive."

She groaned loudly in vexation. "Leah will never let me live this down."

He chuckled again, the musical nature of his laughter causing her to roll her eyes. Unlike humans, she wasn't captivated by his otherworldliness. Rather, she found it strange and downright creepy.

"Blunt, too? You're certainly the charmer."

She glared up at him. "Well, you're more than welcome to get out of my head."

"If only it were that easy."

She huffed and shifted in his hold, his grip uncomfortable and foreign. Never in her short existence did she think she would be in the embrace of a vampire. The wolf in her writhed in protest, the word "enemy" reverberating through her mind. It was wrong and entirely unnatural, but she fought against the instinct to lash out at him. He had saved her, after all.

"You destroyed the newborn," she stated tensely.

He nodded. "When I found you, he was already in the process of rebuilding himself."

Zora shivered against him, the image of herself being strangled by a pair of bodiless, wriggling arms unsettling her. Despite the eerie chill she felt, Edward laughed. She gaped at him with an offended expression. "What's so funny, bloodsucker?"

"Peering into your mind is like watching a horror film."

I've heard that one before, she thought in annoyance, remembering the first time she and Jacob patrolled together. His name reluctantly brought forth memories she would've rather kept hidden in the presence of a mind-reader, her face reddening and his pinching in disgust as Jacob's naked form quickly flitted through her thoughts.

"Unfortunately," he grimaced, "that will be etched into my brain forever."

"You didn't have to look," she grumbled in embarrassment, her eyes trained on the dense greenery whipping past them. "Where are we, anyway?"

"Cape Flattery. We're leaving the Makah reservation."

"Did you come here alone?"

He shook his head. "My siblings Emmett and Rosalie are nearby. Some of your pack is out looking for you, but they went east."

She nodded once, processing the information. She had been right in her assumption that she was further up the coast, but hadn't realized how far north she'd gone. Still, she was closer to home than she originally thought. She sighed heavily, the knowledge troubling. Maybe don't drop me off at home right away. Sam's going to kill me.

"He is angry, but he feels concerned more than anything else," Edward said.

"That concern will disappear once he learns I'm alive," she muttered. "And it's not just him. Embry and Quil are probably mad and Leah will definitely hate me." She recalled their desperate pleas to her as she ran after the newborn, her stomach clenching at the heartbreak that washed over them.

"You'll have to deal with it. Pursuing a newborn vampire alone was reckless, foolish, and completely dangerous. However, I would have done the same thing."

His words had begun to make her feel like an ignorant, scolded child until his last sentence. "You would?"

He smiled down at her softly. "Of course. I would give up my life to ensure that Bella could live hers."

Zora almost rolled her eyes at his theatric statement, stopping herself when she realized her actions were just as dramatic. In what she thought were her last moments, hadn't she declared that she would rather risk her life to save Jacob instead of having him lose his? The more she considered it, the more she recognized that she and Edward were more alike than she would've ever thought. Both were devoted, selfless individuals – which, she recognized, were strengths and downfalls. He knew why she could rationalize her pursuit of the leech, knew why she ran after him without fear or apprehension or regard for her Alpha's orders. He understood her, and it was this realization that made some of her hostility dissipate.

"Listen, it's not like I was planning on dying, but I figured if it happened, at least it was to protect someone I..."

"Love."

"Yes—no, wait! I didn't say that!"

"You didn't have to," he replied, smirking as goddamn mind-reading nosy bloodsucker echoed in her thoughts.

She heaved a sigh. "I don't know what love is. I love my mom and my friends, but…what does romantic love feel like? I've never even been in a relationship."

Edward contemplated her question, his expression thoughtful as he focused on the path ahead.

"Love is…different for everyone. It can be daunting, perplexing, and wondrous all at once. It can make you feel weightless and anchored, euphoric and desolate. Sometimes, it's terrifying to know that you feel so strongly for one person, to entrust them with your vulnerabilities, emotions, and heart. They can leave at any moment, but you can't be controlled by that fear." He affixed her with a soft smile then. "Allow yourself to be loved, and allow yourself to give it."

"Wow…" Zora paused, appearing deep in thought. "That was so…cheesy! Is this how you get all of the human girls to fall for you? By whispering sweet nothings and saying things like 'I'd die for you'?"

His expression fell slightly as she mocked him, chortling loudly to herself and disregarding everything he'd said. Nevertheless, he found it difficult to contain his own laughter as she pictured him dressed in a Shakespearean outfit.

"You're exactly right," he joked. "'I'd die for you' always makes hearts melt. And Shakespeare verses work especially well for romancing mortals."

"No way. Now you have to let me hear something."

He grinned and cleared his throat. "Hear my soul speak: The very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly to your service."

"Oh, god," she cringed. "I think I just vomited in my mouth a little."

"I'm sure you wouldn't feel that way if a certain person repeated those lines to you."

"Ha! Like he would ever do that. He's too busy pining after your girlfriend."

"Fiancée," Edward corrected. "She's going to marry me."

Zora craned her neck to look up at him, her mouth slightly agape. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

The news should not have been as significant as it was, but she found herself thinking of the one person who would be affected: Jacob. She didn't doubt that he knew already, and she couldn't deny the smug satisfaction she felt when she realized her prediction had been correct all along - Bella was never going to pick him. Though she didn't want to remember his and Bella's kiss on the mountain - her and Edward collectively winced at the memory - she wondered what she had missed after she blocked out Seth's thoughts.

"She told him that she loved him," Edward responded, "but that she would always love me more."

"Wow, sucks for him."

"Something tells me you're not entirely sympathetic to his pain."

"Because I'm not," she retorted. "It's his turn to be someone's second choice."

"In your case, I'd say that's more than fair." And after a brief moment of silence, he uttered, "You knew she would choose me?"

Zora gave him a sideways glance. "Obviously. What, you didn't?"

"I had confidence in her," he began, his voice low, "but there was a moment where I...wasn't so sure."

"Dude, she flew all the way to Italy and risked her very mortal life to save your ass. It was always going to be you."

Edward smiled at her confession. "Thank you for believing in me."

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Don't thank me for anything. I wasn't rooting for you for your sake."

"Still, it's the thought that counts."

"Sure, sure," she said, waving him off dismissively.

Her expression struck him, and he found himself thinking out loud. "What are you going to do about Jacob?"

She stiffened. Was he going to try and give her love advice again?

"No. I'm just curious – I've seen how you feel about him, and despite all he's put you through...you still care."

"You know," she grumbled, "having you in my head is a total invasion of privacy and frankly, it's starting to get on my nerves." When he didn't budge, affixing her with a look that said I'm waiting, she sighed. "He's done some stupid shit that really hurt me, and even though he's a total dickhead, I can't just turn it off and stop caring because, well, he's my imprint. That doesn't mean I'll go easy on him, though. I told him that I wouldn't be his friend nor would I wait for him on the sidelines like some desperate girl. And I don't plan on being his rebound, either. If he ever wants more than...more than what we are right now, he'll have to work for it."


With Edward's speed, Zora reached Forks by the afternoon, and after being taken to the Cullen household—where she reluctantly had her shoulder reset by Carlisle, ate her weight and more in delicious food cooked by Esme, and had been given a set of foul-smelling clothes to change into—she was headed to La Push. Her stomach churned with nerves as she drew closer to the treaty line, palms sweating when she thought of her pack's reaction to her arrival. Would they be happy to see her or angry and unforgiving? What would Sam say? Would he banish her from the pack as punishment? And her mom—what would she do? Zora had been gone for almost two days, her disappearance surely noticed. She would be angry as well and probably worried to the point that she'd reached out to the police. She sighed. That would only cause more trouble.

"Whatever happens, you'll be fine," Edward said. He'd offered to drive her after Carlisle put her left arm in a sling, advising her against the long walk with her injuries. Along with her shoulder, her arm was still in the process of healing after the newborn had broken each bone. Her ribs were also healing, not as painful as before, but still aching.

She nodded her head absentmindedly, her gaze focused on the familiar foliage flying past the car. She knew those trees – it was her forest, the one that left her feeling caged in and free at the same time.

It was home.

Finally, Edward came to a stop at the shoulder of the road, the Quileute side of the treaty line laying a few steps away.

Zora turned toward him and gave a half-hearted smile. "Thanks for…everything."

"Of course," he smiled back. "Good luck."

Same to you.

She pushed the door open and inhaled, the air around her smelling of pine, moss, and rainwater. Despite her worries, she was relieved to be back, nearly sprinting into the trees as she began the trek home.


It didn't take long for Zora to reach her house. Her strides were quick; she was anxious to see her mother, fearful of her reaction but desperate to show her that she was alive and okay. When she arrived on her street, her eyes zeroed in on the car parked in the small driveway. Mom's home, she thought, not surprised that she wasn't at work. However, she'd have to confront her sooner than she thought.

After turning the door knob and finding it locked, she trudged towards her window, pulling it open silently and climbing through with ease. She took a moment to bask in the warm scent of her room, briefly comforted as she opened her door and stepped into the hallway.

The house was silent save for quiet static humming from the TV in the living room and the soft rhythm of slow breaths. She crept towards the noise, stopping short when she spotted her mother asleep on the couch. She was gripping Zora's comforter tightly, her face looking tired and tensed even in rest. She knew it was her own doing, and a lump formed in her throat as she stared down at her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, sitting on the edge of the couch and placing a hand gently on her mother's shoulder.

The older woman stirred, her eyes soon fluttering open. "Zora?" she muttered in disbelief, blinking slowly. Her expression was dazed, wondering if she was dreaming.

"Hey, mom," Zora replied, wearing a small, awkward smile.

Autumn blinked again, and when her daughter hadn't disappeared, her eyes widened. "You're actually…you're here?"

Zora nodded, too nervous to say anything else. Autumn stared at her in shock, scanning her daughter's features over and over again, eyes lingering on the mesh sling supporting Zora's broken arm. The younger girl was convinced her mom was gearing up for a furious and loud lecture, but the thought escaped her as she was pulled into a tight embrace. They stayed that way for several minutes, Autumn crying and Zora realizing that she was doing the same.

In her tear-covered state, Zora wondered how was she was going to explain her disappearance. What sort of terrible lie would she have to come up with that she was sure her mother wouldn't believe? She drew in a shaky breath. "Mom, I can explain—"

"You don't have to," she spoke softly. "I know everything."

Zora's eyes widened. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Sam Uley. He told me about you and him and your friends. The secret you've been hiding from me for months and…and the vampires."

Zora blanched, her stomach dropping. She couldn't believe what she was hearing—her mom knew she was a werewolf? And Sam had gone against his own rule to tell her? She was dumbfounded. "How—how did you get him to tell you?"

"It was after I hadn't heard from you in a couple of hours," she said, wiping at the moisture underneath her eyes. "I got home from work late, and when I went to see if you were sleeping, you weren't there. I thought you were out with friends, so I waited up for you. The time kept passing—one a.m., two a.m. and you still weren't home. That's when I began to worry."

Autumn paused, pushing a lock of hair behind Zora's ear. "After dialing Embry's house and getting no answer, I called Sue. Her voice...it sounded strange and heavy like she was withholding something from me. She said she hadn't seen you, so I quickly hung up with her and reached out to Billy. I got a strange feeling from him, too, and it almost seemed like he was expecting me to call. When I asked him for the Forks sheriff's information, he told me not to go to the police and that I should head to Sam Uley's place instead. I was insistent on getting police involved, but he told me to trust him, and something in his tone told me to believe him. I drove as quickly as possible, and when I got there, Sam wasn't surprised to see me. He was wearing this…this deeply sad, pained expression, and I-I nearly lost it."

Zora placed a comforting hand over her mother's. "I was sobbing, demanding to know where you were and why he was involved in your disappearance. He tried to have his fiancée console me, but I wasn't having it. I told him to tell me where you were or I'd call the police, and he finally caved. He told me everything—the legends, werewolves, vampires…and I didn't believe him. So, he showed me"—she shuddered at the memory, Zora's mouth hanging open in shock—"and I realized all of it, the stories my grandmother used to tell me, had always been real. He told me about…your pack and the newborn fight. And then he told me why you were gone."

The anger Zora had been expecting finally surfaced, blazing in the darkness of Autumn's eyes. "I thought you were dead, Zora. All those hours without you…it was the worst pain I have ever endured."

Zora wanted to look away from her mother's piercing glare, but she deserved it - all of the rage, all of the guilt. She almost broke her and would accept whatever consequence her mother deemed fit.

"You will never do that again," Autumn said firmly. "I don't care how many…vampire battles you're in. You will never, ever run after one alone. Do you understand?"

Zora nodded shamefully. "I understand."

"And also, you're grounded. For the rest of your life."

"Okay."

Though her mother wore a hardened expression and a deep frown, she enveloped Zora in another tight hug. "I'm just happy you're home."

"Me too, Mom."

There was a quaint silence as they embraced. Any anger or sadness had dissolved, washed away by their reunion. Zora finally felt at peace, but only for a moment. One nervous thought lingered in the back of her mind — she still had to face Sam.


(Revised 4/14/2021)

AN: Hello, my dear readers! As usual, I am sorry it took me so long to update. I've been working on this chapter since my last update (which was about a month ago). Honestly, after the previous chapter, I was really stumped with what direction to go in. I wrote and re-wrote this chapter about four times, each different but not up to par with what I wanted. So, here I present this version! I'm content with it and I hope you'll enjoy, too. The fight with the newborn was a significant event for Zora, so I'm excited to show how it'll affect her and the others in the continuing chapters.

Thank you to those of you who read the author's note in the previous chapter and took the time to comment with your thoughts. I think it's really important to be aware of how oppression can be perpetuated even in fiction.

Also, I think it's weird that I've gone so long without giving Zora's mom a name, so I'll probably do that in the next chapters and go back and edit the previous ones (and this one)!

Happy reading. :-)