The peaceful silence of the morning shattered when Alice darted into the living room, her expression sharp with urgency. Her golden eyes flickered with frustration as she spoke quickly, her voice low and intense. "I saw something—not clear, but enough to know we're running out of time."

We all froze. Carlisle set down the medical book he'd been studying, his calm demeanor shifting into one of focused attention. Edward, standing near the window, turned sharply toward his sister. "What did you see?"

Alice rubbed her temples, clearly agitated. "It's fragmented—like someone's trying to block me, but they're slipping. I caught flashes: movement in the forest, unfamiliar faces. And there's… smoke. I think they're planning to make a statement. Soon."

Emmett leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "Smoke? Like, they're going to burn something down? Or someone?"

Alice's lips tightened, but she didn't answer. She didn't have to; the implication was clear.

"They're testing us," Jasper said, his voice calm but edged with tension. "First, they're probing our defenses. Now, they're moving closer to see how we react."

"Which means we need to act before they do," Rosalie said, her sharp tone cutting through the room.

Edward's gaze turned toward Carlisle. "What do we know about their numbers? Their strategy?"

Carlisle folded his hands, his expression grave. "We know very little. Silas and Lyra are careful. They're using the same tactics the Volturi once did—misdirection, fear, and isolation. But Alice's vision confirms what we've suspected: they're building momentum."

Tanya, seated in a chair near the fireplace, leaned forward. "If they're trying to provoke us, they'll be expecting a response. The question is, do we give them what they want?"

Edward's jaw tightened. "We can't sit idle. If we do, they'll grow stronger. But we can't rush in without knowing what we're up against."

In the backyard, Renesmee trained harder than ever. Emmett and Rosalie had set up new obstacles: a balance beam raised high off the ground, targets rigged to swing unpredictably, and a small climbing wall made of logs and ropes. Jacob stayed close, shouting encouragement as Renesmee pushed herself to her limits.

I stood with Edward near the edge of the yard, watching her with a mixture of pride and unease. "She's getting stronger," I murmured. "More confident."

Edward nodded, his gaze fixed on her as she leapt from one swinging log to another. "She's determined. But this isn't the life we wanted for her."

"No," I agreed. "But it's the life she has. And she's handling it better than I could have imagined."

As Renesmee landed gracefully on the other side of the course, Jacob jogged over to her, his face lighting up with a proud grin. She laughed, her cheeks flushed, and for a moment, the weight of everything seemed to lift.

But the moment didn't last.

That evening, Leah and Paul arrived at the house, their expressions grim. Leah's hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and her sharp eyes darted around the room as though expecting danger to leap from the shadows. Paul's usual bravado was subdued, replaced by a tight, wary energy.

"We caught the scent again," Leah said without preamble. "Southwest of the ridge this time. It's faint, but it's definitely the same one we picked up before."

Edward's head snapped up. "How close?"

"Closer than we'd like," Paul admitted. "They're moving carefully, staying just out of range. But they're circling, testing the boundaries."

Jacob growled low in his throat, stepping forward. "We need to take the fight to them. They're getting bolder, and if we wait any longer, they'll have the upper hand."

"We can't rush in blind," Carlisle cautioned. "We need more information before we act."

Leah folded her arms, her expression defiant. "If we wait too long, they'll bring the fight to us. And we won't have the element of surprise."

"Leah's right," Jasper said, his tone measured. "We need to draw them out—force them to show their hand."

Tanya leaned back in her chair, her brow furrowed. "But how? If they're this cautious, they won't walk into an obvious trap."

A heavy silence fell over the room as we all considered the question. Finally, Edward spoke. "We'll use the scent. If they're circling, they'll leave a trail. I can track it—and so can the wolves. If we find where they're hiding, we can determine their numbers and their strategy."

"And if we're outnumbered?" I asked, my voice tight.

Edward met my gaze, his expression unyielding. "We'll adapt. We've done it before."

That night, as plans took shape, I found myself standing outside under the stars, the cool breeze stirring the trees. The wolves were already in the forest, their low howls signaling the beginning of their patrols. Inside the house, Carlisle and Alice worked on finalizing a scouting plan, while Jasper and Emmett reviewed the defensive traps one last time.

Edward joined me, his presence steadying. "You're worried," he said quietly.

"Of course I am," I admitted. "This feels… different. Bigger. Like it's all building toward something we can't stop."

He reached for my hand, his touch grounding me. "It's always felt that way. But we've survived every storm so far. We'll survive this one too."

I leaned into him, letting his calm confidence steady my frayed nerves. But as I stared out at the darkened forest, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were standing on the edge of something far greater than we'd ever faced before.

The wolves' howls carried through the night, a warning to whatever—or whoever—lurked in the shadows. And though the forest remained quiet, I knew it wouldn't stay that way for long. The storm was coming, and this time, there would be no turning back.