𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 ✧ 𝐬𝐚𝐦 𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐲

28

Ivy thought about seeing Sam, she thought about that time a lot. She wondered if he thought that Ace was her new vampire boyfriend or something. Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Sam was thinking about Ivy and her new vampire boyfriend. 

He was for sure more handsome than him, definitely, Sam nodded to himself. 'She's moved on for sure, she's forgotten about me. But what about Edward? He definitely has a thing for Ivy the way he looks at her. It's the same way I look at Ivy.' His thoughts poisoned the others, he was so depressed, beating himself down every chance that he got. It was a burden to have your thoughts be connected with other people, especially as the Alpha of a werewolf pack. He couldn't be himself. He always had to be okay, if he wasn't okay how would that look to his pack? 

It didn't really matter if they could all read each others' minds, anyway. The look on Sam's face said it all. "Is he seriously not going to come out of his room?" Paul asked at lunch. Sam had been sulking in his room since the encounter with Ivy. They had all been feeling it.

" I just miss her so much....ohhhhh, uhhhhh I don't wanna live, boo hoo." Leah whined. 

"That's not nice, you can feel what he's going through, and you're making fun of him. Real classy." Paul rolled his eyes at her. 

"Yeah I know what he's going through, that's all he thinks about but it's affecting ALL of us! You think I wanna be sad over Ivy when I wake up in the morning? I've spoken to her ONCE, and all I hear when I open my eyes is 'I miss Ivy so much. I love Ivy so much.' It's getting so fucking annoying!" Leah slammed her hands against the table, making the glasses clink together. 

"Back off Leah," Paul growled, "You wanna act like you're so tough but if we want to be technical you do realize he lost his imprint, right? Do you even know how that feels? I got an uncle that lost his imprint, it broke him. Just because Ivy's a cold, blood-sucking vampire doesn't mean she wasn't the person she was before. You don't know what he's been through."

"Yes. I. Do. I was. There. When he..." Leah trailed off, wondering if she should really say it.

"Leah -"

"When he killed her."

The whole room went silent. You could hear a pin drop. 

"It was....an accident. Don't say that." Paul growled through his gritted teeth. "Don't say something you're gonna regret just because you're still salty he dumped you."

"What? We all know it's true. He fucking killed her. It's just guilt and I get it. But I didn't kill her, I didn't do anything to her. And it sucks we have to feel his guilt. I'm just frustrated. I'm just...frustrated."

"Are you guys talking about me?" Sam appeared in the doorway. "I can hear you."

"No. we're not." Embry replied to the Alpha, who looked like he hadn't slept in weeks and had been crying for a week straight. Leah looked away, cheeks red. She refused to look Sam in the eye. 

"I'm gonna go back to mine. Thanks for letting me stay at the pack house, but I need some time alone. If any of the vampires come back, I'll come running, just call." 

Before anyone could say anything he was gone. 

Ivy was weak, her cheeks were sunken, eyes losing their gold luster. She was practically starving herself. It was tough being heartbroken and still easing into this new vampire life. Animal blood didn't make her feel good.

"You're an Alpha, you kind of need real blood" Ace told her. "No, I'm not doing that."

"I'm not saying you should do that, I'm just telling you what you need." 

"What I need is a...is a fucking.. I need a walk." Her voice was husky and dry. She pushed herself off from her bed. 

"Okay, but I need to tell you something. I'll be going away for a while. I won't be back for a long time. Maybe a few months, maybe more." Ace explained.

"What? Why so suddenly?"

"I'll tell you when I'm back." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "See you, dear sister." He climbed out her window and disappeared through the great pine trees without another word. 

Ivy walked around, occasionally killing a rabbit for a snack. The old her would have puked at the sight of a maimed animal but she was eating it now. She sighed, pulling the hood of her black hoodie over her head. She didn't like herself now. 

The haunting sound of a wolf's howl rang through the forest. Ivy began to hyperventilate. She couldn't focus on anything. She didn't need to breathe, but her chest rose and fell like it was having a panic attack. Flashes of black fur and blood violated her mind. She remembered the pain of being ripped open by dull claws, she remembered the sound of her flesh tearing. Ivy began to grip the earth, ripping out a few blades of grass by the root. She cut her palms with her nails, her knuckles turning white. 

Everything felt cloudy, everything felt bright. 

"Ivy? Ivy?" She could hear someone calling out, just like that night she died. That night she died. The night she died. All the senses and memories that she had been desperately locked off in her mind had all been let out at once, just from the howl of a wolf in the distance. Ivy started to hyperventilate.

"Ivy!" 

She screamed, clawing at whatever she could first get her hands on, it just happened to be Edward's arm. He winced in pain but let her claw at him. Edward's panicked, golden eyes shined back at her with worry. His mouth slightly agape. He was looking over her as she realized she had sunk into the ground, leaning against a pine tree. She had torn out most of the grass around the tree with her hands, they were covered in dirt. 

"Hey...hey. Are you okay? You're shaking. You're trembling." He tried to reach his arm out to her but she yelped in fear. 

"Ivy. It's just me." Edward cooed. "You're fine. You're fine." 

She began to calm down. "That...wasn't me." She told him, embarrassed. "I don't know what happened to me."

"Ivy, you're fine. You don't have to explain anything to me. I got you." Edward knelt down in front of her. 

"I don't know what happened," She started sobbing, gripping his shirt. Ivy wrapped her arms around him and cried like a baby. "I don't know what's happening to my head."

"It's just...PTSD. I've seen it in humans during the war, and in vampires. You went through something horrible, it's not a surprise you'd be like this." Edward was always logical and straightforward to her. He patted her back, unsure of how to touch her. "I've got you. Let's just go home." He pulled her up, rubbing the dirt away from her jeans. She shook her head.

"No, I'm alright. I just wanted to go on a walk. Really, I'm fine. I'll come back in a bit."

Edward sighed, nodding. He left her alone shortly. Ivy continued her walk, like nothing had happened.