Edited 6/22/22.

A/N: This chapter contains swearing and graphic violence.

Also, the next few chapters are going to be extremely heavy for Marshall as a character. He's going to fall to his lowest depths. I'm just giving you all a warning now to prepare you for things to go very, very south. 

***

Everyone among the pack is tense as they walk toward their destination. Stagnant silence is filled with the sound of heavy paws making contact with moist dirt. Leaves high above are dancing without a care in the world. It smells like rain. The air is humid and sticky. A nest of birds are perched happily on a branch above. A tiny multicolored butterfly flaps its wings off in the distance. It's a peaceful setting.

For now.

Golden eyes trail down to a shining black wedding band. A small ruby sits in the center of it. Above the accessory is a slightly more worn promise ring. The sight of them makes Marshall's jaw clench.

He pulls his hand toward his chest, holding it over his heart. Both rings feel cold. Smooth. They act as a teasing reminder for the gruesome events to come should things fall south. At the same time, their presence fills Marshall with a bittersweet sensation of warmth. An uncomfortable tightness settles throughout his body.

A moment passes before he resumes his previous stance. He allows for a hand to bury itself in warm, silver toned fur. Paul doesn't look back; he just continues walking. But his ears do flicker in response to the gesture.

He's aware of his husband's feelings.

The vampire finds pleasant heat beneath his hand increasing. The musky scent from his bonding mark heightens as well. It helps to console him to an extent.

The pack members stop behind a grouping of large rocks to stay hidden. A short distance away is the rest of the Cullen family. They're grouped together with clenched fists and rigid stances. Esme and Carlisle look over. The two offer a quick nod before bringing their focus back in front of them.

Everyone waits in uncomfortable silence. Birds continue to chirp. Branches continue to sway. The air begins to smell of flourishing foliage.

Until it's overcome by sweet copper.

Marshall's gaze snaps up. The motion catches everyone's collective attention. A few more seconds pass before the others catch the scent as well. Sam gives a growl in warning to keep the pack from engaging just yet. Marshall looks over at his coven mates when they begin running in the direction they're facing.

Loud, bloodthirsty grunts and snarls rip into the air. Chirping birds are overshadowed by inhumanly fast paced running. Such a scene exacerbates festering anxiety.

The smell of sweet copper and faint human blood is overwhelming for Marshall.

There are too many collective people at once.

He turns in another direction to try and escape the assault on his nasal cavity. He makes eye contact with Sam.

The alpha offers a gentle nod in reassurance.

It takes a second to rein everything back in. When golden eyes refocus on the fight in front of them, Sam gives a short exhale through his nose.

On cue, the pack members run forward. They leap over large rocks and come face to face with a field full of red eyed individuals.

Marshall dives right toward a snarling woman. She barely gets a chance to actually look at him before he rips her head straight from her body. He lands on his knees, ducking underneath someone trying to grab at him. A quick swipe of the legs sends his opponent crashing to the ground. Another well placed kick puts an end to that vampire as well. He looks back for a moment to check on the pack.

For now, everyone's good.

Marshall turns to face another direction when he hears people running toward him. It's a group of three.

He gets to his feet with a huff and sprints at the trio with a predatory snarl. An attack is aimed for the vampire closest to his left. A woman is grabbed by her throat, getting thrown into another direction. In his peripheral vision, Marshall sees his mate catch the woman in between his jaws. She's expertly ripped to pieces.

The vampire brings his focus back onto the other woman. She shoots her hand out and is actually successful in grabbing hold of Marshall's jacket. He uses the gesture to his advantage by pulling the woman forward. Her red eyed companion throws a punch. The woman is used as a shield. A harsh blow to the chest kills her on impact.

Paul makes a sudden appearance by tackling the last of the trio. A limp body is tossed away as he dismembers her companion. When finished, he makes eye contact with his imprint.

The tense gaze only lasts a second, but it signals an unspoken, "Everything's okay".

Marshall sees an approaching vampire in the reflection of rich brown eyes. Before getting grabbed, he does a backflip straight into the air. He lands on the person's shoulders. The sudden movement forces them to the ground. Their neck is taken into a tight grip. A swift jerk to the side forces their head to come tumbling off their body.

Marshall senses another presence coming from behind him. By the time he's standing upright, a red eyed female is grabbing at him. She manages to punch him in the face. The force of the attack causes cracks to form on the left side of his jaw. He winces in pain.

The woman utilizes the situation to try and force him into a choke hold. She gets an elbow to the face, and such brute strength causes the upper half of her head to separate from its lower half.

A particular high pitched yell catches Marshall's attention. His head darts in the direction of the sound.

He comes face to face with a male vampire grabbing Rosalie by the throat. The older Hale doesn't hesitate to run toward her.

The siblings make eye contact for a split second before the rogue is tackled away. Both men are sent sliding toward another part of the field. The golden eyed male sends a harsh kick to his opponent's abdomen. He's sent sprawling to the ground. Rosalie assists by stomping on his neck, killing the man.

Jumping back, the two siblings find themselves standing side by side. Dual sets of golden eyes meet. Marshall flicks a stray leaf out of blonde hair before running off into another direction.

He sees Jared having a hard time with a female vampire. She's keeping him pinned to the ground by digging her knee into his ribs. Marshall makes a beeline for his pack mate to help.

The vampire finds himself running alongside Jasper. Both males nod, simultaneously tackling the woman. With a well placed pull, she's severed into two pieces; her top and bottom halves being tossed elsewhere.

Another high pitched whine catches Marshall's attention. It's a sound that fills him with dread.

He turns around, momentarily watching as a group of vampires jump onto Paul's back. The shifter is trying to bite at them and shake them off, but he's having a very difficult time.

Marshall snarls. He sprints in the direction of his mate alongside Emmett who has noticed the threat as well. Both males rip the red eyed leeches away from Paul. Without mercy, the bloodsuckers are decapitated and dismembered. An appreciative nod is thrown Emmett's way. He gives one in return before running off.

Marshall aims to check on his mate once again. He doesn't get the chance to as he's pulled backward by the collar of his shirt.

He's flung into the distance and makes contact with a large tree trunk. Grunting, the male falls to his knees. Both of his arms are grabbed by two pairs of pale hands. His hair is pulled by someone else. He's forced to look upward at the person grabbing him.

And he freezes. His lips part in shock.

He takes in the appearance of familiar long brown hair and lightly tanned skin. He takes in the appearance of a slender frame with wide hips. He takes in the appearance of cold ruby eyes. And he can't help but gasp.

"... Yasmine?"

Instead of responding, the woman pulls a hand back. It meets Marshall's stomach. He coughs out in response to the strong punch. His body tries to force him to double over as a means of guarding himself, but Yasmine keeps a firm hold of his dark locks of hair.

"Marshall Hale. I always knew there was something off about you. But I didn't think it'd be this." Her grip on his hair tightens. "A fucking vampire. A leech. A murderer."

A pained breath is sucked in. "I'm not a goddamn murderer-"

And he receives another hit straight in the gut.

"It's because of you and your fucking family that I've been turned into a monster like you," Yasmine seethes. "I've been forced to become a bloodsucker because you killed Victoria's mate. I've been forced to leave my normal life behind because I have to fight a battle that's not even mine."

"Yasmine..." Marshall struggles to formulate a concrete sentence. "How- when did this happen?"

"On the car ride back from the airport," she explains, frowning. Hostility drips from every word, and her voice is laced heavily with venom. "We were driving home at night. Next thing I know, something is standing in the middle of the road, and our car is sent flipping down the street. I can remember being held in place by my seatbelt in an upside down vehicle. I remember bleeding from my head too, along with the smell of leaking gasoline. And then I remember being bitten in the neck- and fire running through my body. Next thing I know, I'm a fucking vampire. And it's all your fault!"

"Yasmine-"

"Don't 'Yasmine' me, Hale!" she screeches. "I trusted you- we trusted you! And you were a fucking monster the entire time! Because of you, my humanity has been ripped away from me! Because of you, I'll never get to be normal again! With that being the case- in order to fix the fact that you betrayed us, perhaps you should pay off the debt you owe me. With your life!"

The hands holding Marshall's arms tighten. The hand in his hair tightens. Golden eyes widen when Yasmine leans forward. She sinks her teeth into his neck with enough force to make him scream out in pain. Two other sets of teeth bite at the flesh of his arms. Multiple cracks begin to form in his body. A slight burning sensation erupts throughout his insides in response to foreign venom entering his veins.

Marshall sees his life flashing before his eyes, and an overall panic washes over him.

Everything seems to stop though, when he's saved by a man tackling Yasmine. His scent isn't familiar.

Marshall takes the opportunity to kick one of his captors in the head. It's powerful enough to kill them. With his now free hand, he turns his attention to the person still biting his other arm. They're grabbed and forced into a choke hold. A sharp pull decapitates that particular opponent.

Golden eyes shift upward once again. Marshall watches in genuine surprise as the mysterious new vampire grabs Yasmine by the throat. He shoots forward, sinking his teeth into the woman's neck. His other hand grabs the top of her head. And he pulls.

Yasmine's body goes tumbling to the floor, whereas her head is thrown into another direction.

The mysterious vampire takes a moment to breathe. He looks down at the remains at his feet before moving to turn around.

Marshall begins to form a sentence in thanks. He freezes once again when the person faces him completely.

Tears begin welling up in his eyes.

He looks over a pair of red irises in complete terror. He looks over clear, tan skin and messy dark curls. He takes everything in.

And it completely shatters him.

No.

No, no, no, no, nO, NO, NO!

"Brad..?"