Leah Clearwater

The cliffs of La Push were the closest thing to freedom Leah Clearwater had.

The wind howled around her, sharp and bracing, the waves crashing below with the kind of raw power that made the world feel small. She liked it here—liked the way the ocean didn't ask anything of her.

Not like the pack. Not like Sam.

Not like everything else in her life that had been defined by someone else's choices.

She crossed her arms, staring out at the horizon, when the sound of deliberate footsteps behind her made her sigh.

"I can hear you moping from a mile away, Jake."

Jacob Black snorted, stepping up beside her. "Pretty sure I'm not the one brooding on a cliff like a tragic Victorian heroine."

She scoffed. "Please. I'm at least an anti-hero."

They stood there for a while, watching the waves.

Eventually, Jake sighed. "You ever think about leaving?"

Leah's lips twitched. "You mean have I ever dreamed about getting the hell out of here? No, Jacob. Never once."

Jake huffed a laugh but didn't argue. Instead, he glanced at her, something serious behind his easy smirk.

"Thing is… I don't think we need to stay any more."

Leah turned to him, frowning. "What?"

Jake shrugged, eyes on the water. "The Cullen's left. There haven't been vampires here in two years. We patrol a ghost town every damn night for nothing. Maybe it's time we stopped."

Leah exhaled sharply, turning back to the waves. He was right. She knew he was. But she also knew what came next.

"You think Sam will let us go?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Jake's jaw tightened. "We don't shift. If we don't shift, he doesn't know what we are thinking. Can't find out where we are. No command. No obligation."

Leah let that settle, chewing it over. The thought of just leaving, of slipping away without the pack tethering her to a place she no longer belonged—it was almost too good to be real.

"So, where would we go?" she asked finally.

Jake hesitated. "Denali."

Leah shot him a look. "For Bella?"

Jake gave a self-conscious shrug. "Just to check in."

Leah snorted. "Yeah, sure. Just checking in. Not at all trying to see if she's still hung up on sparkles."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Look, it's step one. And then after that? I don't know. Wherever."

Leah considered it. Really considered it.

Then she grinned. "Fine. But just so we're clear—Denali is step one for me too."

Jake smirked. "Deal."

They stood there a little longer, letting the cold settle into their bones.

Leah had never been so ready to run.

Mike Newton

The thing about Forks was that it had a way of making you settle.

You worked at your parents' store. You dated, then married someone from high school. You lived your entire life within a ten-mile radius of where you were born.

And that was fine. For other people.

But Mike Newton? He had dreams.

Big ones.

He wasn't just going to be some guy in Forks. No, he was going to make something of himself. Stand out. Be the one that got away.

And he knew exactly where to start.

"Alaska," he muttered, staring at a blurry Google Maps screenshot on his phone.

His plan? Simple.

Step one: Find Bella Swan.
Step two: Casually reconnect.
Step three: Remind her what she'd been missing.
Step four: Become an international success story.

The last step was a little vague, sure, but great men didn't get bogged down in details.

"Are you even listening to me?" his mom called from across the counter.

Mike looked up, blinking. "What?"

Mrs. Newton sighed, waving a pair of hiking boots in his face. "I asked if you restocked the winter gear."

"Oh. Yeah. Totally."

He had, in fact, not restocked anything.

But did it matter? No.

Because he was getting out of here.

He leaned against the counter, imagining it now. Bella, seeing him again. Her eyes lighting up. Maybe she'd even say his name a little breathlessly. Mike.

Yeah. That sounded right.

"Mike."

His mom's voice snapped him out of his daydream.

"What?" he asked, annoyed.

She folded her arms. "If you don't finish your shift, you're not going anywhere."

Mike sighed deeply.

Fine.

Step five: Survive one last shift at Newton's Outfitters.

Oh wait.

Step six: Save some money for the trip.

Then?

Save the world.

Or at least, Alaska.

Charlie

Charlie Swan had never been good at emotional conversations.

Which was why he was completely unprepared for his daughter dropping several life updates into one casual phone call.

"Yeah, Dad, school's good. Work's good. Oh, and I've been seeing someone."

That had made him sit up a little straighter.

"Yeah?" he said, trying to sound normal. "What's his name?"

Bella was quiet for a beat.

"…Her name's Tanya."

Charlie blinked. His brain did the mental equivalent of stumbling over its own feet.

"Oh," he said, before his brain caught up and he added, "Oh."

He wasn't upset. He wasn't shocked. He just… hadn't seen it coming.

And suddenly, he really didn't want to mess this up.

"Well," he said, clearing his throat. "Tanya, huh?"

Bella hesitated. "Yeah. Is… that okay?"

Charlie frowned. "Bells, you really think I'd have a problem with this?"

"I don't know," Bella admitted. "We've never really talked about it."

Charlie sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Bells, all I care about is that you're happy. That she treats you right. That's it."

Bella let out a breath that sounded a little too relieved, which only made him feel worse that she'd been nervous about telling him.

"She does," Bella said. "She makes me happy."

Charlie nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Good. That's all I need to hear."

Bella was quiet for a second before saying, almost shyly, "Thanks, Dad."

Charlie's chest ached.

"Any time, kid."

A few minutes later, he hung up, exhaling as he leaned back on the couch.

Sue Clearwater arched a brow from her seat across the room. "Well?"

Charlie let out a slow breath. "Bella's got a girlfriend."

Sue smirked. "And?"

Charlie shook his head. "And I really need to prepare myself before she brings her home for a visit."

Sue laughed. "Oh, Chief, you are in so much trouble."

Charlie groaned, closing his eyes. He knew.

Jessica

Jessica had endured exactly three hours and forty-seven minutes of boredom when Chief Swan casually dropped the biggest piece of gossip of the year right in front of her.

It was a slow day at Blackbird Coffee, and she was half-listening to Charlie's usual order when old man Larkins—who spent more time in this café than actual employees—asked about Bella.

"She's good," Charlie said, completely unaware he was about to change Jessica's life. "Got a girlfriend now."

Jessica nearly dropped an entire pitcher of oat milk.

"Bella has a what now?" she blurted, practically vaulting over the counter.

Charlie blinked at her, clearly realising too late that he had made a terrible mistake. "Uh… a girlfriend?"

Jessica stared. "Since when?!"

Charlie shifted uncomfortably, grabbed his coffee, and bolted like a man who had just realised he was in over his head.

Jessica stood frozen, gripping the counter like she needed something solid to hold on to.

Lauren wandered in from the back, took one look at her, and immediately smirked. "What's up with you?"

Jessica whipped around. "BELLA SWAN IS GAY."

Lauren raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Cool."

Jessica flailed. "COOL? How am I just finding this out?! She was obsessed with Edward Cullen. And now she's—"

Lauren shrugged. "Yeah, well. How hard she took that breakup could kill the appeal of men for anyone."

Angela walked in just in time to witness Jessica having a full existential crisis.

"What now?" she asked, setting her bag down.

Jessica pointed at her aggressively. "Did YOU know Bella was gay?!"

Angela shrugged, completely unbothered. "Yeah, kinda."

Jessica gasped in betrayal. "And you didn't TELL ME?!"

Angela sighed. "It wasn't a secret. You just never asked."

Jessica dropped into a chair, devastated. "I'm losing my edge."

Lauren patted her on the shoulder, not at all sincerely. "Hate to break it to you, Stanley, but you were never as ahead of the game as you thought."

Jessica ignored that insult and straightened up. "Alright, next question: who's the girlfriend?"

Angela sighed. "Maybe just… text her and ask?"

Jessica scoffed. "Boring. This requires investigation."

Lauren grinned. "That means you're going to annoy the hell out of people, doesn't it?"

Jessica smirked, her energy fully recharged. "Obviously."

Angela groaned. Lauren laughed.

Jessica?

Jessica was just getting started.

Victoria

Victoria crouched low in the shadows, downwind, listening.

Denali.

Bella wasn't here.

Laurent had spent weeks in Denali, digging up information the Cullen's for her. He had never once mentioned that Bella had already left Forks.

He had been hiding something.

The realisation hit her like a physical thing, sending a slow, sharp rage crawling up her spine.

Laurent had lied to her.

Rage twisted in her gut, but she kept still, kept listening.

The wolves were certain the Cullen's were in the wind as well.

Would Laurent tell her if the Cullen's were in Denali? Surely. That was too big a lie to pass off as anything but betrayal.

Which meant he wasn't protecting Bella.

Which meant…

Victoria's lips curled.

She's alone.

For the first time in two years, she felt the slow, curling sensation of victory.

But she wasn't reckless. She wasn't stupid.

If Laurent had been keeping things from her, then she had to assume there was more she didn't know.

She'd have to be careful. She'd have to be smart.

And maybe, just maybe, she'd need to make a few allies.

Victoria stood, slipping back into the shadows.

She was going to Denali.

And when she got there?

She was going to finish what James started.