Forks was never loud, but the Cullen house was quieter than usual. The kind of quiet that didn't feel peaceful it felt expectant.
Alice stepped through the door just after nightfall.
She closed it behind her gently, like she didn't want to disturb anyone.
But they were already waiting.
Esme was seated by the fireplace, a book in her lap, unread. Carla stood near her, leaning against the grand piano, eyes calm but focused. Jasmine sat on the armrest of the couch, legs crossed, brows raised. Emily lingered by the staircase, arms folded, expression unreadable.
Rosalie stood by the far wall, her eyes already locked on Alice like a predator watching prey.
Edith was the only one seated near the wide glass windows, her arms resting on her knees, golden eyes unreadable but aware too aware.
Alice said nothing.
She walked into the room slowly, her hands slipping the sleeves of her jacket off her shoulders. She hung it on the coat rack by the door without a word, like this was just another evening.
But it wasn't.
Rosalie's voice cut through the quiet like a blade. "You kissed him."
Alice paused. Her back to them still.
Then she turned, gaze calm but unapologetic.
"Yes."
No stuttering. No hesitation. Just truth.
A beat of silence passed.
"Are you insane?" Rosalie hissed, stepping forward. "Do you even know what he is?"
"He's mine," Alice said, voice low, steady.
Rosalie stopped.
The others stayed still watching, processing, waiting.
Edith finally stood from the windowsill. "We don't know what kind of creature he is. You've felt his energy. That… pressure around him. It's not human, not vampire, not anything we've seen."
"And yet it feels familiar," Jasmine said quietly. "Doesn't it?"
That earned a few glances.
Alice nodded once. "Exactly. He's not like us, but he's ours. You know it. You all feel it. Don't lie."
"We're not denying the bond," Carla said softly. "But bonds can be dangerous. We don't act on instinct alone, Alice."
Alice stepped forward slowly, her hands now at her sides. She looked smaller than usual, but only because she wasn't putting up walls.
"I didn't go to him looking for anything. But the more I tried to ignore it, the more it felt wrong. Like something was pulling my chest apart from the inside."
Emily's expression finally cracked. "You kissed him because of instinct?"
Alice shook her head. "No. I kissed him because I wanted to. Because when he looks at me, it doesn't feel like I'm some cold immortal trapped in time. It feels like I'm real again."
Rosalie scoffed. "He probably wants to break us all. Don't pretend like he doesn't enjoy being wanted."
Alice didn't deny it. "He probably does. But there's something else. Something deeper. He's holding back. Like he knows exactly what he is, and he's just watching us figure it out."
Esme finally spoke, her voice soothing but thoughtful. "You think he's dangerous."
"He is," Alice said. "But I don't think he's dangerous to us. I think he's dangerous to anyone else."
That quieted them.
Because deep down, they knew it too.
Carla moved toward the bookshelf, picking up a small glass orb and turning it between her fingers. "So you kissed him… and now what?"
Alice exhaled. "Now I know it's real. That it wasn't just chemistry or fate or instinct. It's him."
Rosalie turned away, her voice bitter. "You made the first move. You think that means he's yours now?"
Alice's jaw flexed. "No. But he didn't stop me. He kissed me back."
Jasmine looked at her carefully. "What did it feel like?"
Alice's eyes softened. She sank onto the edge of the couch, curling her legs up beneath her.
"Like gravity stopped working for a second," she said quietly. "Like all the control I've had over myself, over everything… just melted. And for once, it wasn't scary."
Emily blinked slowly. "And he didn't talk about his past? His origins?"
"No," Alice said. "He doesn't talk about himself. Not really. But it's not because he's hiding something evil. It's like… like there's something painful buried so deep, he's not willing to go back to it. And I didn't ask."
"You should," Rosalie muttered.
"Maybe," Alice said. "But I think if I give him time, he'll tell me what matters. He trusts me. I saw it in the way he touched me. That kiss he wasn't just tasting something new. He was choosing."
The fire crackled. The silence returned.
But now it wasn't judgment. It was tension. Want.
Jealousy.
They'd all felt it. All wanted him.
But Alice had made the first move.
And Kane had answered.