The air in the room shifted before she even moved. Three weeks without hunting, and every scent pressed too close—iron, dust, and something new underneath it all. Not human. Not vampire.

Witch.

Carlisle had said the word like a secret he wasn’t sure he should speak aloud. I hadn’t believed him.

Now the sound of her pulse—steady, unfamiliar—cut through the quiet like a fault line.

Jacob’s voice broke the tension.

“It’s probably looking to sink its teeth into something.”

Emmett’s answering grin was sharp.

"I know the feeling.”

Edward didn’t look away from the newborn in the corner.

“If it’s hungry, it’s not going to want animal blood.”

Carlisle’s tone stayed calm, but the mention of it made the pressure rise behind my ribs.

“I have some stored supply for Bella.”

That word supply rang louder than it should have. My head turned toward him before I could stop it—reflex, not choice. Every instinct flared, too bright to reason with.

Alice’s hand found my arm, feather-light. Her voice tried to reach me through the noise, but the ache drowned it out. Three weeks without release, and now this—one newly changed witch, her presence matching mine like an echo.

I could feel it—her need, her confusion—mirroring my own. The others didn’t sense it, but I did. It wasn’t just awareness anymore. It was resonance.

And for the first time in years, my control felt thin as glass. I steadied my breath and forced my eyes to stay open. Not today. Not in front of them.