Sam Uley's POV
Billy's house was quiet, the air thick with the smell of old pine and coffee. Sam stood in front of the elder's chair, arms crossed, jaw tense.
"He wasn't a vampire," Sam said.
Billy raised an eyebrow. "But not human either."
"No."
"Describe him again."
"Tall. Built like a linebacker. Stronger than he should be. Moved like… something that's been through war. Calm, but not passive. He wasn't scared of us."
Billy grunted. "Not many are."
"He knew what we were," Sam said. "Didn't flinch. Didn't threaten. Just stood there like he had nothing to prove."
That silenced the room for a beat.
Billy tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair.
"Did he say his name?"
"Kane."
Billy's eyes narrowed slightly. "Kane Hanma?"
"You know him?"
"No," Billy said slowly. "But I've heard whispers. From the north. Cold places. Stories about a man with impossible strength. A man who doesn't belong to any clan, pack, or coven… but isn't alone either."
Sam frowned. "He's not working with the Cullens, but he's not against them either. That's what worries me."
Billy gave a slow nod.
"Keep watching. But don't confront him again unless he makes the first move."
Sam hesitated. "He could be dangerous."
Billy looked him in the eye. "Or he could be something else entirely."
Rosalie's POV
The house was unusually quiet.
Which was strange, because her nerves weren't.
Rosalie paced by the window for the fourth time, glancing toward the woods that lined the Cullen property. Kane hadn't shown up to school. He hadn't messaged. And his scent hadn't been near the area since sunrise.
"Something wrong?" Alice asked from the hallway, her tone carefully neutral.
Rosalie didn't turn. "He's gone."
"He's not the kind to ask permission."
"He should be," Rosalie snapped.
Alice arched a brow. "Since when do we make rules for Kane?"
Rosalie folded her arms tightly across her chest. "Since I started caring."
There. She said it.
Alice didn't mock her. She just nodded once and leaned against the doorframe.
"You think he's in trouble?"
Rosalie shook her head. "No. That's the worst part. I don't think he can get into trouble."
She stepped away from the window, teeth gritted. "He's probably off somewhere, swimming, fighting a bear, or doing something else that makes him feel alive."
"You like that about him," Alice said, watching her closely.
Rosalie didn't deny it.
Didn't have to.
But under the irritation, under the frustration… was worry.
Not because Kane was gone.
But because she missed him when he was.