CHAPTER 18
> Cullen House
Carlisle paced in circles across the living room. His expression was pure concern.
He crossed his arms over his chest… Logan Black had been in their house yesterday.
The Quileute shapeshifter had actually shown up…
But not in the way Carlisle expected.
He came seeking answers.
Carlisle's body went tense.
If it hadn't been for Esme, Logan would have torn Rosalie apart…
A tight knot formed inside him; a chill ran down his spine.
He knew that boy wasn't a normal shapeshifter.
Everything about him screamed danger.
His instincts told him to stay alert.
And finally, he understood…
The Quileute tribe had unintentionally created a true monster for themselves,
he thought with a troubled look.
Esme and his children had described him the exact same way:
Being near Logan disrupted their senses.
A strange danger made them uneasy, and his scent electrified their bodies.
He was the perfect weapon against vampires:
Someone who drew them in…
Without them realizing they were walking toward their own death.
The Cullens were gathered around Carlisle and Esme.
Edward, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper looked at him with worried expressions.
Rosalie stared ahead, her eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowed, and spoke in an irritated tone:
"It wasn't my fault…" she crossed her arms and looked away.
Esme gave her a gentle shake of the head.
"Rose… you provoked him. You shouldn't have pushed him like that," she scolded softly.
"And what was I supposed to do?" Rosalie huffed, offended. "We'd expose ourselves to humans…"
Carlisle observed her for a moment.
She was right… but she shouldn't have pushed him to the limit.
Not even he was sure he could face Logan.
"He's acting strange… yesterday he didn't seem like himself," Edward added, looking at Carlisle.
"He felt more unstable… his presence was suffocating."
"Is he evolving?" Emmett asked.
Alice looked between both of them.
"My powers can't sense him… I can't see anything from his future," Alice said, uneasy.
"It's all dark around him."
"He's different from the wolves," Carlisle concluded. "I've never seen a creature like him in my entire life."
Edward looked outside. The sky was dark, a fog wrapped the house, dyeing everything a somber gray.
"He's like Bella… but at the same time completely different," Edward tensed.
"His aura blocks me from reading his mind."
"It's like standing in front of a wild beast," Rosalie added with a shiver.
"I can still feel what it was like to have him in front of me…"
Her body trembled for a second.
A human fear she thought she had lost resurfaced inside her.
Carlisle looked around at all of them.
Having someone like him against them was… not an option.
"Logan Black is not our enemy," he said firmly.
"Rose, please apologize to him."
She wanted to refuse, but Carlisle's stern gaze silenced her.
---
> Forks High School Parking Lot
Bella's truck pulled into the school parking lot, watching the other students walk past them…
A silence formed between her and Logan…
She looked at him for a moment—he had a relaxed expression.
It was now or never… she had to ask him.
She gathered her courage:
"Logan…" she whispered, slightly uneasy.
She didn't call him Jimmy… not this time.
"Bella… what's wrong?" he asked with a small, careless smile.
She bit her lip and looked to the side.
She couldn't deny how stupid her question was going to sound…
"Can you answer something? I want the truth…" she closed her eyes and exhaled softly.
Gathering all her courage, she asked without filter:
"How did you stop the truck?" She stared straight into his eyes.
"I saw your hand that day…"
Her eyes moved across his body.
Heat rose inside her.
"How is that possible…?" her hands clenched tightly.
"A human being can't heal that fast."
She tensed for a moment—the memory of that day flashed in her mind.
The way he held her, how he used his body to shield her, the strength of his arms around her… none of that was normal.
Logan stayed silent.
A serious look replaced his cheerful attitude.
"Bella… what are you trying to say?" he moved closer, close enough for her to feel his breath…
Bella stiffened and tried to pull away, but there was nowhere to hide inside the truck…
She caught his scent—it was the first time she had him this close…
For the first time, she saw his eyes up close.
They were black.
A black so deep it swallowed the light around them.
"Logan… you're very close," she whispered, staring at his hands—they were big, too big.
She felt small beside him… almost like prey in front of a predator.
"You know better than anyone what happened that day…" his voice dropped lower.
"My hand was almost crushed because of that… remember?" he continued, placing an arm beside her—
She couldn't understand how this happened.
A moment ago they were joking, and now… just his scent—
She thought of Edward, but not even he had ever affected her like this…
Silence.
Until a click broke it; with a swift motion, Logan opened his side door.
With a teasing grin, he looked at her one last time and stepped out of the truck.
"What were you trying to do?" he asked, still mocking her.
He walked away from the truck saying:
"Are you gonna stay in there all day, or are you coming with me?"
Bella felt her breath tremble, her hands were sweaty… and her heart was pounding.
What the hell just happened…
And she knew then…
She deserved that after trying to force him to answer something he wasn't ready to.
And as always… he just mocked her.
---
Logan still had a smile on his face.
Bella refused to walk next to him—she was still furious over his stunt in the parking lot.
"Come on… you're still mad?" he kept letting out small bursts of laughter.
"I didn't even touch you," he added.
Bella suddenly stopped and shot him a death stare to make him shut up…
Yeah, that didn't work.
---
A few meters ahead, two people were waiting for Logan near the school entrance.
Rosalie and Emmett Cullen.
They sensed his scent—the familiar strange feeling ran through their bodies…
They stiffened.
His scent was even stronger than they remembered.
Logan walked slowly beside Bella, still teasing her—
But as he got closer, his expression tightened.
His jaw clenched.
A heat rushed across his skin…
Something burned inside him.
He looked at the Cullens…
Their sweet, sickly scent hit him in the stomach.
Bella noticed this.
"Jimmy…" she whispered.
They stopped near them…
Logan stared at them, and with that alone, a heavy atmosphere covered the area.
"Bella… why don't you go see your boyfriend?" he said half joking, half commanding.
"I'll catch up later."
She didn't know how to respond…
This only confirmed her suspicions…
They weren't normal humans—each day it became clearer.
"You'll catch up later?" she asked, unsure.
Logan simply nodded.
She felt she shouldn't be there at that moment…
She walked away with heavy steps without looking back.
Slowly, the pressure on her body faded as she got farther from them…
She cast a final glance back.
But she was startled to see that…
They were no longer there.
---
To be continued…
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