Talkeetna, Alaska

1943

The Cullens arrived at their cousins' home late in the evening. It was only meant to be a short visit to say goodbye.

They were residing nearby, but soon they would be moving to their home in London, England, for a few years.

Rosalie Hale inhaled sharply as they approached the cabin.

The familiar smell of honey reached her nose, and her body stiffened. Her family glanced at her when they realized who that scent belonged to.

The door to the cabin opened, revealing Tanya.

"Please, come in," she said, smiling.

"We currently have another friend visiting, but I think you all know her very well."

Carlisle chuckled nervously.

"Of course we do."

When they entered, Rosalie watched as her family greeted Tennessee. All the while, struggling to keep her intense emotions at bay.

It was pure instinct to embrace her mate after years of worrying and longing and brooding. Rosalie's body coiled to do so, but she kept herself still.

When Tennessee inevitably met her gaze, she could see that same need in her glowing, crimson eyes.

Yet, they both ignored it.

Pride is the burden of foolish people, and in that moment, that was what they chose to be.

"Hey, Rosalie," she said, glancing at the necklace around her neck.

"How you been?"

The blonde stared back, taking in the perfection of her sharp features and her full lips. She committed her to memory in case she ran again.

"Just fine, Tennessee."

"Glad to hear it."

The tension within the cabin thickened in an instant, and even the ignorant Denali coven could feel it. They looked between the two women curiously.

Emmett grasped his wife's hand to comfort her. He could only imagine what she was feeling.

"I was actually just leaving," Tennessee said abruptly.

"Good seeing y'all. Carlisle, Esme."

As the redhead exchanged hugs and farewells with the Denali coven, Rosalie took breaths to calm down.

She tried to remind herself that Tennessee probably didn't know they were mated.

She most likely wasn't running away because of her. There was no reason to take this personally.

Yet, when Tennessee reached the door of the cabin, Rosalie was there, gripping her arm to stop her from leaving.

The other woman glared at her hand, but she didn't let her go.

"I need to talk to you privately."

"About what?"

Rosalie could feel all the eyes, watching and wondering what was going on, but she didn't care.

This was personal.

"Just come with me."

Reluctantly, Tennessee followed her into the forest.

Rosalie glanced back every now and then to make sure she was still there. She didn't trust the skittish woman not to flee while she was distracted.

When they were out of earshot, Rosalie faced her head on, preparing to lay into her. There was so much she needed to say. So much anger and worry and longing.

She wanted to slap Tennessee and then hold her close for a very long time.

Instead, Rosalie became speechless beneath her curious but intense stare.

There was a storm of emotion in Tennessee, too. Pain and confusion and something so soft that she wanted to cry.

To her surprise, the redhead was the one to initiate the conversation.

"There's something going on between us."

Rosalie nodded, refusing to blink in fear of Tennessee disappearing into thin air.

"You're not... his mate, are you?"

Rosalie wasn't surprised by this question.

If Tennessee hadn't known before, she had to know now.

They had only ever spoken a few words to one another, yet the tension between them was palpable.

As if they'd known each other for several lifetimes and finally reunited after a milennia apart.

"No," Rosalie said. "I'm not."

"But you love him."

Tennessee nearly choked on the words, and Rosalie couldn't stand the anguish on her face. Her hands flexed at her sides to keep from reaching out.

"I do, but that doesn't change that the fact that you are my mate."

The redhead turned away, inhaling an unnecessary deep breath, and Rosalie tensed, preparing to chase her if she ran.

"I don't know you," Tennessee muttered under her breath. Her bushy brows drew together in frustration.

"I shouldn't feel this way. I don't want to feel this way. This pressure in my chest keeps getting worse the longer I'm away, but I can't go with you."

Rosalie expected to feel comfort in the knowledge that Tennessee was pained by her absence, too, but she wasn't.

"You can, Tennessee. You can come with us to London. You don't have to be alone anymore."

She slowly moved closer as if the woman were a frightened animal.

In a way, she was.

Tennessee feared what she was making her feel and what would happen if she gave in to it.

"You don't understand. I can't be around him," she said, shaking her head. "I can't forget everything he took from me."

Carefully, Rosalie reached out and touched her. Just a hand resting between her shoulder blades.

Tennessee tensed, causing all of the muscles in her body to coil, but she didn't pull away.

"I know what it's like to hate someone. I even know what it's like to hate the man who created you," Rosalie said softly.

The redhead finally looked at her, and those crimson eyes were brimming with tears.

"My turning was much like yours. I didn't want this. There was so much I wanted to achieve in life. Someone I loved and trusted took that away from me, and as I lie bleeding, wanting to die, Carlisle took that away, too."

When Tennessee took her hand, Rosalie paused to gather herself.

With Emmett, it was easier to talk about her past. She could detach in a way.

However, with her mate beside her, understanding her on a level no one else could, she felt everything to a degree she was not prepared for.

Rosalie's soul was now a livewire, and it always would be.

"There is still tension between Carlisle and I, but there is also love. I know that with time, you can also heal from the hatred you hold towards Emmett, but the only way you can do that is by addressing it head-on. You can't run from it forever."

Tennessee closed her eyes and shook her head, barely holding in a sob. Had she been human, tears would have been streaming down her face.

Rosalie rubbed her back soothingly.

"Every time I look at him, I just want to-"

"You want to kill him. Watch him die. Take back everything he took from you," the blonde said.

"But, the hard truth is, you can never get that back. And I can assure you that if you ever allowed yourself to get to know him, you wouldn't want any harm to come to him. Emmett is not the monster you experienced that day."

Tennessee began to cry, releasing everything she'd been holding in for nearly a decade.

She spent years forgetting and pushing her hatred for Emmett Cullen into the deep recesses of her mind, but seeing him again, especially with Rosalie, brought it back to the forefront.

The remembrance itself was injury anew.

"I was the only one providing for my little brothers. They depended on me to take care of them," Tennessee said between harsh sobs.

"I've still been taking care of them over the years. I bring them deer, clean water, money and clothes. Still, my baby brother didn't make it. I could help them from afar, but I couldn't save Beau from sickness. He was too young to be turned."

Rosalie threw caution to the wind and wrapped the woman in her arms. To her surprise, Tennessee held onto her tightly.

"I'm so sorry."

Even as her mate's pain coursed through her own body, she felt euphoria for the first time in her life.

Unbridled contentment.

She now understood why Edward longed for a mate of his own so badly and why he'd been so kind to her ever since Tennessee left.

He knew, from the minds of others, how heavenly having a mate could be, and the torment that followed in their absence.

"I know you feel broken, but eventually you will mend," Rosalie whispered, softly scratching her scalp.

"All it takes is willpower and patience."

"But what if I'm not strong enough?"

Rosalie squeezed her tighter, feeling her heart break for her mate.

"You can lean on me."

Hours passed before they were prepared to return to the Denali's cabin. Even though they decided it was time, they didn't want to end their intimate moment.

When they reached the cabin, Tennessee stopped Rosalie at treeline with an embarrassed smile on her face.

She wasn't fond of being vulnerable, but the blonde forced her to be.

For once, that didn't scare her.

"Thank you for the wise words. I needed to hear them."

"Are you coming to London with us," Rosalie asked, on the verge of pleading.

She didn't know how much longer she could handle being away from her.

"At least stay for a while-"

The blonde was silenced by hands on her shoulders and then soft lips against her cheek. She closed her eyes at the feeling.

Electricity moved through her body in a way it never had before, and she grasped the other woman's shirt to keep her there.

When Tennessee leaned closer to whisper in her ear, she was still frozen in place.

"I'll be thinking of you, Rosalie."

She didn't open her eyes.

Instead, she stood there in the snow, listening to Tennessee McClellan's boots echoing through the trees until only the sound of the wind rustling the leaves remained.

Within Rosalie Hale's body, her heart began the process of rotting, like fruit carelessly left out in the sun.

Resentment grew inside her like a fungus.