CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
GLORY DAYS

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ITALY WAS JUST AS Verona remembered it to be. Tourists and locals crowded the narrow, cobblestone streets, talking and laughing amongst themselves as they relished in the cool shadows the towering buildings provided, stray flares of warm sunlight seeping through the crevices. In the distance, Volterra's infamous castle loomed over the village, and even from afar, Verona could sense the comforting presence of her mate within its walls.

At the thought of him, she froze, glancing down at the letter she gripped in her hands, the one he'd sent to her. The people behind her shot her annoyed glares as they were forced to maneuver around her, but she paid them no attention, too captivated by her doubts to notice her surroundings. If she continued on her way, there'd be no turning back. She'd hear what he had to say and see where her heart took her. But if she went home and cut all contact with him, she'd never be happy again, she'd never feel complete without him by her side.

In the end, she knew what she had to do.

Being back at the castle made her stomach twist with nerves. The memory of walking down those corridors for the first time played in her head over and over like a broken record, and she let out a sigh as she pushed open the double doors, wincing as they groaned at her touch. In an instant, someone appeared before her, their black cloak masking their lean frame. Demetri's bright, mischievous eyes stared at her with caution, and she tried to send him a polite, placating smile as he spoke, suspicious.

"What are you doing here, Cullen?" he hissed, his head leaning to the side curiously.

"I need to see him, Demetri," she told him, ignoring the jab at her last name. "That is, if he hasn't changed his mind."

Demetri was quiet for a moment. Then, he spun around and disappeared down the corridor in a flash of colour. Verona frowned after him, just standing there, unsure what to do. For a moment, she wondered if Demetri had decided to ignore her, but before she could so much as think about finding her mate on her own, someone else appeared in the corridor.

"Verona." Alec's eyebrows were drawn into a happy but cautious frown, his crimson eyes taking in each and every inch of her. "I didn't expect you to show up."

"Really?" she mumbled, ignoring the pang of sadness forming in her chest. "Well, I can leave if you want me to."

"No," he immediately protested, reaching out to grab hold of her wrist. She stared at him for a moment, swallowing thickly at the longing in his eyes. "Please stay with me."

Verona looked at him then, really looked at him. He stared back at her like she was his whole world, stars in his eyes and an adoring grin tugging at his lips. His grip on her hand was gentle yet loving, and it made her frozen heart soar.

"Okay." His grin seemed to grow, and she smiled at him. "But we need to make the most of our time together. Discuss everything, no more secrets."

He nodded, no need for hesitation. "Anything you want, my love."

She smiled again, the most genuine smile she'd given in a very long time. And for just one minuscule moment, she naively believed that everything might turn out okay for her.

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VERONA HALE HAD NEVER failed to amaze Alec Volturi in the short amount of time he'd known her. He was making his way back to his quarters, having gone to inform the rest of his coven of his mate's temporary stay, when he spotted her stretched out on the window seat by his desk. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her arms looped around her jean-cladded calves. Her head was resting against the stone wall behind her, golden eyes analysing the village dotted below them with wonder. She's so beautiful, he found himself thinking with a sigh, his heavy heart releasing at the sight. How was he, a man so unfortunate in his existence, so lucky that he got to be with someone like her? It didn't make any sense to him.

Snapping out of his daze, he leaned against the open doorframe, his arms folding over his chest, the muscles straining against his shirt. Verona's lips tugged into a smile as she sensed him behind her. She moved to face him, light brown curls framing her face with an elegance that he'd always admired about her.

"Is everything sorted then?" she asked, moving to allow him to sit beside her.

"Yes, and they're honoured to have you here," he smiled, his legs pressing against her own as he struggled to fit into the small space she inhabited.

"Oh, I'm sure they are," she hummed through her giggles, her body moving closer to the window to give him more room.

He huffed at her, suppressing the smile that tugged at his lips as her laughter began to subside. Neither of them said anything for a moment, instead sitting there in silence. It was comfortable, easy, but tension still lingered in the air. Verona let out a sigh, her smile long gone as she peered at him, meeting his dark eyes without hesitation, determined to see past their colour to the soul that lingered beneath, to search for the person she'd fallen for.

"What are we doing, Alec?" she mumbled, her voice bleak. "Why are we pretending like everything's fine when it isn't?"

"I don't know," he admitted, his eyes darting away from her nervously. "I really don't, Verona."

"It's just...we're so different, Alec," she continued, allowing her heart to take over and spew out every little thought she'd had since she met him. "And I wasn't sure what to think about that at first, but I grew to love it the more I grew to know you. However, now...it just feels like we're back at the beginning. Why are we back at the beginning, Alec?"

"I guess it's my fault," he sighed, trying his best to avoid her burning gaze. "I kept something from you that I shouldn't have. I understand that now. I am sorry, my love."

"So you say, but I don't know if you are," she muttered, one of her hands subconsciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Alec, we're meant to be mates. It shouldn't be this hard to be together. We shouldn't have to worry about our covens and what they're going to think of us. We shouldn't have to deal with any of what we've been through."

"Yet here we are," he mumbled, defeated. "Still struggling to accept each other."

"I just want to be with you," she whispered, her voice growing soft again. "I needed time to get back on track with everything, but I do care about you, Alec. I never wanted to lose you forever. I hope you know that."

"I do. And I care about you too," he smiled, though the expression was strained. He reached out to grab her hands, his cold fingers entangled with her own. She leaned into his touch, savoring every moment she got to spend with him. "How about we take things as they come now? We've made our mistakes, let's just try and move on."

"Okay," she nodded, sighing as his fingers traced patterns on her arms. "I'd like that."

If only it was that easy. For neither of them were wired to 'take everything as it came' and deep down, both of them knew it. Their loyalties still lied on different sides, and when it came down to it, they would still make the same decisions. For something that was destined to spend eternity as a whole, these two halves were just too determined to break apart. But they pushed their dark thoughts aside and allowed themselves a fleeting moment of happiness, an instant of content in each other's embrace. 

Alec pulled Verona close to him, their foreheads touching, eyes lingering on each other's faces, analysing every little piece of them. Verona's heart leaped into her throat as Alec leaned closer and closer, erasing the final inches of space between them. She could feel his unneeded breaths on her lips and her eyes fluttered shut on instinct, luring him in like a siren's song. 

And when their lips met, it was like everything became right in their chaotic lives. The darkness that clouded their thoughts was the last thing on either of their minds as Alec's fingers tangled themselves in Verona's hair and Verona's own hands gripped his arms like her entire existence depended on touching him, on holding him close to her. And when they finally pulled apart, their eyes meeting in a moment of pure awe, she felt a harsh stabbing ache of longing in her chest that encouraged her to search for his lips again. And so she did, without hesitation. Because kissing him was something that she'd missed out on for such a long time, and she never wanted to lose that privilege again.

"I've missed you," she whispered, the words so quiet that he almost didn't hear them.

Alec beamed a radiant smile, his lips grazing against her own as his hands moved to cup her face gently, fingers tracing patterns on her smooth skin. "I missed you too, my love. More than you know."