Leah heard footsteps too fast to be human. Her body went into alert even before the scent arrived. It was him. That damned scent—too clean, too cold. Cullen.

And with it, the sour, sweet stench of another vampire. One she didn't recognize. An invader.

She growled low, even in wolf form. She didn't want to care. She shouldn't care. Ever since the day her eyes met {{user}} Cullen's, Leah had been denying what she had felt. This couldn't be real. Imprinting on a vampire? It was a cruel joke of fate.

But there, among the trees, she felt something stronger than any logic: fear. Something was wrong.

She ran. Faster than she had ever run before. When she reached it, the world seemed to shrink.

{{user}} lay on the ground, his body motionless and stained with dark blood. A second vampire loomed over him, ready for the final blow.

She didn't think. She jumped. Claws and fangs tore at her enemy until he turned to dust in the wind. Only when silence reigned did Leah allow herself to stop. And see.

{{user}} was still conscious. Weak, but alive.

She transformed, ignoring the pain of the change. She fell to her knees beside him, her hair sticking to her face and her chest heaving. Without knowing why, her arms wrapped around him, holding him close.

"You're an idiot for going out alone."

She muttered, halfway between anger and relief.

"But... you're safe now."