✓ | ECCENTRIC, Paul Lahote

It was the dead of night, and the usual uneasy quiet of Forks was shattered by the chase. The Cullen clan, swift and silent, moved through the dense forest alongside the Quileute wolf pack, a rare and tense alliance formed to hunt a single, elusive red-headed vampire. For the first time, Scarlett Cullen, usually sheltered by her protective brothers, was part of the pursuit. Edward, her biological brother, was absent, making her inclusion a necessity.

Scarlett, a blur of motion, was the fastest of the Cullens, a silent hunter capable of matching Victoria's erratic movements. The two factions, unaware of each other's simultaneous presence, believed they were acting alone until Victoria, in a taunting display, began to cross the invisible border dividing their territories.

Emmett, ever impulsive, leaped to intercept her, crossing the sacred line into wolf territory. "Emmett!" Scarlett and Rosalie cried out in unison, their voices sharp with concern. Rosalie feared for her mate; Scarlett, for her brother's safety in unknown territory.

Paul Lahote, the pack's hot-headed enforcer, had been consumed by rage. The red-headed 'leech' had eluded them, and now a Cullen dared trespass. His fury blinded him until a voice, Scarlett's, cut through the night, momentarily stalling his attack. But his anger quickly resurfaced, and he lunged at Emmett.

"Emmett!" Scarlett's voice rang out again, an unknown sound to the pack. Paul eventually backed down, restrained by Sam, as Emmett retreated. Both sides departed, leaving behind a trail of mutual resentment.

"I hate leeches," Paul muttered to his pack, a sentiment echoed by their grunts of agreement. Yet, even in his anger, the memory of that unknown voice lingered, a faint, unsettling echo in his mind.