Chapter Text
ARO POV
Aro was alone in his room in the highest tower of Volterra Castle, in a hall covered with heavy curtains. The wind brushed against the stone walls, echoing with a groan that could only be heard in the ancient heart of Volterra.
An ethereal restlessness remained. Even the walls that had learned to speak in silence over the centuries could not swallow the encounter that had just taken place.
Aro stopped a few steps in front of his throne. The black robe that wrapped around his body seemed to think with him; it was motionless. He knitted his fingers between his hands and lowered his gaze to the pale stone floor.
He could still hear Bella's voice.
"You are the owner of my dreams in the mists. I see you every night, hear your voice. I am drawn to you. Are you sure I should be afraid of you, Aro?"
At first glance, it might have sounded like a simple challenge, but it wasn't. There was no empty meaning in that word. There was a consciousness. An intuition.
He had heard it. He had truly heard it. Every word had penetrated into him. Not just the words themselves, but the determination behind them… That fire. That human warmth standing unwavering in the midst of vampire glory.
He took a step.
Then another.
He turned his back on his throne for a moment, his hands hanging down on the sides of his robes as he walked slowly to the window. He looked out the high arched window set into the thick stone walls—night had not yet fallen, but the air was gray. Cold and gray. Like before the rain began...
But dreams were his business. To walk through the layers of the human mind, to extract truth from memory. What was he doing in her dream? And why did it seem... so familiar?
He closed his eyes.
He felt the bruise on Bella's wrist on his lips. The ache he felt was not just the echo of the pain on his body. The violence Edward had repressed so brutally had triggered another anger within him. The weight of crushing someone who belonged to him...
> "I didn't expect this much," he whispered to himself.
"Without touching my mind... it screamed that it was mine."
BELLA POV
Bella’s head was still pounding when she returned to the room. Alec’s dark, all-consuming emptiness… Jane’s thin, burning anger… But none of it had reached her. She had felt no jolt, no pain gripping her wrist. There was an instinctive shield far deeper than her body; it had been born with her, unwillingly but just in time.
Renata took a step back as the door closed silently. “Heidi will bring food and some clothes in a moment,” she said. “Try to rest.”
Bella nodded, but her insides were eating her. The silence in the throne room… Caius’s contemptuous stare… Marcus’s sadness, knowing everything but saying nothing… And Aro…
While Bella was lost in her thoughts, the door opened and Heidi walked in with a tray and a full bag.
“Heidi,” Bella said in a tired voice.
The woman turned and smiled at her slightly. “A test of strength?”
Bella nodded. “Yes. I guess I did well…because I wasn’t impressed.”
“You weren’t impressed?” Heidi’s eyes widened. “Neither Jane nor Alec’s strength—none?”
Bella nodded. “None.”
Heidi actually smiled this time. “Aro will love to this.”
As Bella picked up the fork, she realized that her hand was shaking. The tension was still inside her. But neither Alec’s cold fog nor Jane’s torture—none of them had reached her. And it had triggered something inside her.
“I’m different, aren’t I?”
Heidi looked into her eyes. She didn’t answer. But now Bella knew the answer too.
Bella was finishing her meal when Renata walked in. She turned directly to Bella and said, "Jane and Alec are here. They want to meet you."
As soon as Renata finished her sentence, the door opened and Jane and Alec walked in.
We wanted to meet you," Jane said with a cold smile.
"You already recognized me. Hours ago," Bella said. There was a slight thorn in her voice.
Alec raised his eyebrows. "You're fine. You're keeping your cool. Aren't you impressed?"
Bella shook her head. "No. Your power... can't reach me."
Jane took a step forward. Her eyes glowed red. "Shall we try again?"
Bella didn't back down. "Try."
The twins stood facing each other in the middle of the room. Jane focused. She tried to penetrate Bella’s mind. The pain, the panic, the screams… nothing came. Just a void. A wall.
Alec released the fog at the same time. But Bella felt nothing. Everything… was like it was outside. Like a shell around her, like invisible armor.
Jane’s face distorted.
Alec narrowed his eyes at Bella. “This… is extraordinary.”
Renata and Heidi focused on Bella with shocked eyes. This was indeed the future queen…
While this was happening in the Volturi castle, Demeter and Felix were making their way through the woods of Forks. They had come to take the Cullens.
The Cullen mansion at the edge of the forest was quiet. It appeared abandoned, but Felix and Demetri knew how to track it down from centuries of experience. The house wasn't empty, just quiet. Inside, the hall, decorated in the vampire's unique order, was still a living memory.
Felix walked slowly inside, smelling the scent. "Jasper... Esme... Rosalie... Emmett. They're all here."
Demetri narrowed his eyes. "And Carlisle. I knew they'd be here."
After a moment of silence, Rosalie appeared at the top of the stairs. Her eyes sparked with anger. Jasper and Emmett followed shortly after. Carlisle emerged last, his hands clasped behind him, a look of deep concern and exhaustion on his face.
Carlisle broke the silence:
"What happened to Edward and Alice?"
Demetri stepped forward. "They are alive. They are in custody of the Volturi. The Volturi Court will convene. The entire Cullen family is invited."
Felix smiled slightly. "The invitation is kindly made. But you know how it is to be resisted."
Emmett rushed forward in anger, but Jasper held him back. Carlisle was still calm. We will come to the Volturi with you in peace.
Demetri nodded.
Rosalie reluctantly turned her head. "And Bella?"
A spark lit up in Felix's eyes and he smiled widely.
"Bella is with the Volturi. Aro's special guest."
Rosalie shivered for a moment. Jasper turned to Carlisle. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
Carlisle whispered in a way only he could understand:
"This could mean the world is changing its balance."