Hopeless Devotion ~ A Jasper Hale Story

Chapter Ten - Jacob's Temper

The front door slammed hard enough to rattle the frame.

No one spoke right away.

Bella sat very still on the couch, like if she moved too much she might shatter. Her eyes were unfocused, her hands clenched in the blanket in her lap. Whatever Jacob had said to her—whatever had passed between them—it had left its mark.

The house seemed to exhale all at once.

Carlisle was the one who broke the silence.

"We need to hunt," he said calmly, already stepping into the space left behind by Jacob's absence. "Now."

Esme turned to him immediately, understanding written across her face before he could say more. "Yes," she agreed softly. "Before anyone loses control."

I shifted, irritation flaring sharp and sudden. "Control over what?"

Carlisle met my gaze evenly. "Over ourselves," he answered. "Emotions are high. Fear, anger—those things make mistakes more likely."

He didn't say blood. He didn't have to.

Bella swallowed. "You're leaving?"

"Briefly," Esme said, moving to sit beside her. She brushed Bella's hair back with a tenderness that made my chest ache. "This is about making sure no one gets hurt. Anyone."

Rosalie straightened near the doorway. "You'll be fast."

"Yes," Carlisle promised. "And we won't go far."

Jasper's hand rested lightly at my shoulder. "I'll stay," he said quietly.

Carlisle nodded once. "Good."

Alice hovered near the window, restless, her fingers twitching. "I don't like this," she muttered.

"I know," Carlisle replied.

Esme leaned down, pressing a kiss to Bella's temple, then to my hair. "We'll be back before you notice we're gone."

The door closed behind them a moment later, soft but final.

The house felt smaller without them. The quiet pressed in, heavy and too loud all at once. Bella hunched over on the couch, blanket pulled up under her chin, eyes staring at nothing. Whatever Jacob had said to her lingered in the air like smoke.

Jasper stayed close behind me, his hand resting lightly at my shoulder, steadying without speaking. Emotions buzzed in the room, a static I could feel in my bones.

We turned on a movie; by my recommendation, I asked for the recently released Goblet of Fire movie that came out last year. We all settled down, I leaned up against Jasper, laughing at Fred and George's beards.

Then Edward moved.

He stiffened by the doorway, ears and eyes sharp, posture rigid. Without a word, he was gone, slipping past the threshold.

Jasper and Emmett were gone a moment later, following him. No explanation, no glances back. Just the soft click of the door shutting and the sudden, echoing emptiness.

Alice lingered near the window, fingers fidgeting at her sides. Minutes passed, and then she, too, was gone—off without a word, disappearing through the same doorway.

That's when the itch to move hit me. Restlessness, hormones, fear, all tangled together. I drifted to the window, careful not to announce myself, careful not to draw anyone's attention. My hand pressed to the cool glass.

And then I saw them.

Jacob.

And Seth.

They stood at the edge of the clearing, silhouettes sharp against the darkening trees. I barely breathed. My stomach dropped. The worst part wasn't their presence—it was that I knew just how much it meant, how fast things could spiral from here.