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Glaring light shone down on the scene around me. The mornings here in the Volturi castle had previously been spent with one of my mates, but now all three of them were cuddling up to me and giving me all the affection I could ever want. I knew the nature of their being was to keep me attached to them as much as possible. Most people would find it annoying, but I loved it. I craved that attention.

Aro was the first one to get up, but he only left for a few seconds, grabbing a book from one of the ancient shelves. Caius whined at the absence and tried to resituate himself, his entire leg lying on top of the lower half of my body. Marcus didn't make much noise, but let out quiet purrs as Aro sat down next to him, the book in his hand.

"Read," Caius said, happily popping his head out of the blanket cave he had made for himself. "Which book is that, amore?"

"Ah, an old folk story, my dear. Quite old, I may add," Aro planted a kiss on Caius' head, to which my mate visibly swooned. "Unfortunately we cannot read this morning. We must be at trial today, and I suspect that bringing our mate again will be informative as to what she needs to learn in order to play her role as queen."

Marcus hummed as Aro put away the book he had been previously holding. His bare chest against my back, my mate kissed along my neck and shoulders, never letting me get too far away from him. The empty space in the bed was filled with gold and green blankets that wrapped around our bodies in a lovely mess.

I let out a small huff and rolled away from Marcus, almost finding myself on the floor. I blushed once I realized that my lower half had been left completely bare the entire rest of yesterday and last night. My face must have been scarlet as I tried to cover myself up. Marcus snickered when my hands reached for my underwear, which was lying down on the hard floor.

"Don't be embarrassed, amore," Aro crooned, looking at my naked lower half. "Hai un aspetto regale."

"Stop looking at me," I whined, slipping on my skirt, "I don't look at you when you're changing."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, cara mia, but our mate is so right," my entire pale body went a bright pink at Caius' words. His eyes were daggered into my body. "The mate bond makes you perfection for us. There is nothing we would rather look at than our mates. Allow us to admire your beauty, mia regina."

Letting out a small whine, I rolled my eyes and went over to the large wardrobe that my mates had installed to keep my ever growing collection of clothes, most gifts from Didyme since she has (according to Aro and Marcus) too many articles of clothing.

Taking out a pair of leggings and a high rise shirt, I get ready for the trial. Where I would be sitting, I had no clue. There was no way in hell that I would be standing the entire time. To do so would be both ridiculous and utterly impractical.

"Amore, do make sure that you brush your hair," Aro realized the mistake that he had made in reference to my hair the second he saw the ready glare I was giving him in return. My hair was naturally curly and would resemble that of a banshee if I tried to comb through it dry. No time for a shower, my hair had to stay the way it was for the time being. At least until after the trial.

"Oh, what a relief it must be to have such straight hair," I seethed, putting some lip gloss to make sure that my lips didn't get chapped in the Italian summer heat. "Unless you're willing to see my hair overflow into the next room, keeping it unbrushed would be wise."

My mate nodded in understanding before putting on a pitch black coat. These men, my mates, looked more like what Americans would think the Italian Mafia look like during their rulings. Cold, angular eyes pierced into me as I tied up my black platform boots. My bright blue eyes lingered on their muscled frames until their old-fashioned white shirts that truly made them look from another time. It's a shame men don't dress the way they did before. No wonder women prefer to be alone, all the boys in school wear baggy jeans and terribly washed shirts.

Blush still lingered on my cheeks as Aro took my arm, letting us walk together. Caius and Marcus lingered not far behind us, with the latter choosing to stay quiet in front of the guards that secured the castle's walls. Caius said his hellos to some of the guards, but that was the furthest he went when conversing. Our walk was short, but peaceful.

When the classical doors opened up, my mates and I were met with a filled room. Vampires lined both the walls and the entryway as Aro walked me to his seat, which was situated to be in the middle of the set of three golden thrones.

A few murmurs went out as people saw me sit down in a place that no human had likely sat down before. My scent would have alerted them of my mortality, but I hoped that the scents that my mates had placed on me would do well in notifying the defendants of my bond with my kings.

"Human," a girl whispered, now right in front of me. Held down by Felix, I could see the true fear in her eyes as she spoke. Those cherry red eyes looked at me with something I hadn't wished to see. Hunger.

"She will be no worries today, as she is observing our ways of being," Aro's voice engrossed my wandering mind. It was not the same. He kept the same passion in his tone, only now laced with venomous jurisdiction over those who heard him. "What have you been accused of, young newborn."

An explanation for her bright red eyes. "They called me a Romanian."

"Do you know what that entails?" Aro questioned, looking at her with curious eyes. The girl, who couldn't have been but a few years older than myself, shook her head. "To be a part of the Romanian coven is to stand against my rule of law, the same law that has kept us safe for thousands of years. Do you know why they called you a Romanian?" She shook her head again. My mate let out a long sigh before shifting his attention to Felix, "I suppose you were the one to catch her, were you not?"

"This one was found with three others we know of to be a part of the Romanian coven," Felix said. "By the state of the bite on her neck, she was turned about two months ago. Demetri confirmed that she smelled of Romanians, which is why we brought her back to the castle."

"Thank you, dear Felix," the guard nodded before stepping back, giving Caius a chance to look at the young vampire. His hardened eyes tore into her, looking her up and down.

"Who turned you?" Caius asked, his voice a far cry from what I was used to hearing. This version of Caius was cold, uncaring. No hint of remorse lingered at the back of his throat as he swallowed, eyes narrowing. "The name and the place you were turned. If it can be proven that you did not know who they were or what they were up to, we shall spare you. Although I must warn you, the Volturi do not give second chances."

Another vampire was brought in, a young woman with features similar to Caius. They shared the same shade of blood red eyes, with their noses almost identical.

"Her name?" Caius asked. "Brucerò io stesso tutti questi rumeni quando ci metterò le mani sopra."

"Now, now," Marcus spoke up for the first time, "No need to be so aggressive."

Caius shot our mate an exhausted look before turning back to the blonde girl, "Name and crime."

"Alesia," I watched my mate visibly stiffen. Marcus shot him a look and our mate attempted to relax himself. "I didn't want to join them, your grace, they forced me!"

"That's what they all say-" Aro cut him off.

"I can confirm the story, brother," I could feel the disgust radiating off of my mates when they heard Aro use that term, "We shall act accordingly as inscribed in our most sacred laws. Being forced is a reason for pardon."

Stretching out his arm, Aro waited patiently for Alesia to give him her hand. After a second of consideration, she handed over every thought and memory she ever had, submitting everything into Aros' memory department of his eternal vampire mind. His eyes glazed over as he used his gift, sifting through whatever she had to give. Everything was his, from her emotions to her wants and desires in life. Nothing would be left unturned once Aro had a grip of her personal mind.

Pushed back, Aro pulled away from her, almost frightened by what he had seen. My mate looked between Caius and Alesia before letting out a hurried breath. Still sitting at the throne, I glanced over at Marcus, whose eyes had glazed over once he saw the situation. He too had a similar reaction, putting a hand over his mouth.

"They never told you our names, did they?" Aro said, completely frazzled. "No matter."

"This is a huge matter, Aro," Marcus said, voice ever so slightly raised. "Aro? You're shaking-"

No more words could be exchanged between the two of them. Aro had used his vampire speed to run off into another area of a castle. The fact that he was doing that in the middle of a trial - it simply didn't make any sense. Worry flooded the bond that tied us together. I simply got out of my seat and started to race out of the room.

I had to find him.

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Five hours. It had taken me five hours. Here I was, exhausted beyond belief, in front of my crying mate. Tears streamed down his face as he held himself in a ball. Aro was curled up inside one of the many attics that this castle had. It was one that he had pointed out to me before the first warnings from the Romanians, one that he had said he liked to go to when he was feeling down.

Why had it taken five hours? Well, I didn't have the best memory. I also had guards trying to stop me along the way. The entire castle was in a frenzy, searching for the king that had randomly left during a trial.

"Aro, baby," I whispered, putting a hand on his wet cheek. My mate let out a sob and moved himself, lying on top of me. "Cosa è successo?"

"No," he whispered, tears leaking onto my shirt. I shook my head and pulled him up closer to my chest so that I could get a better look at him. His hair was all dusty and he looked like a trainwreck.

Shushing his cries, I wrapped my arms around my mate, trying to comfort him in whatever way I could. My mind was a mess, but Aro needed me to be strong for him. Our bond indicated that this was no normal emotional breakdown, something else had happened. "Baby, I need you to tell me what's wrong. I want to be here for you."

"I-" his voice was cut off by a sob, to which I pulled his face up so I could see him. His eyes held no difference in color, but were now getting puffy with the moisture that stained his cheeks. "It's s-stupid for me t-to be the one upset."

I shook my head, not believing that for a second. "You don't have to tell me right now, but you have to come back. Everyone is worried sick."

My mate pushed his nose into my neck, nuzzling at one of my veins. I brushed a hand against his cheek as he fell limp on me, barely moving at all. It was terrifying to see him so upset. I had never even seen him sad before, let alone emotionally dysregulated. I couldn't see or imagine what was happening inside of his mind. He had to tell me or I would never be able to figure it out.

"It's okay," I barely believed it myself, "It's okay. We don't have to see many other people. Just Marcus and Caius-" Aro whimpered at the mention of our two other mates. I narrowed my eyes. "We have to go back, Aro, there is no other choice. I promise that we can get through whatever is going on with you, but we have to do it together."

Aro cringed as the door to the attic opened. Two hushed voices could be heard. My mate hissed loudly and sniffed at the air, making sure that he was okay with whoever these people were. A small whine left his lips as I felt two people come near us. The light was dim and my eyes strained trying to see who was there.

"Astraea," Oh thank god it's just you, Marcus, "I miei amori- Aro, mio tesoro. Oh, tesoro, don't cry. Don't cry, my precious mate."

Our mate whined again, this time leaving my lap and curling up on Marcus. I heard a hurried sigh and felt someone wrap their arms around me. Caius, don't scare me like that.

"Miei cari. I have no clue what's going on," my blonde mate admitted, intertwining our fingers. My black-haired mate pulled himself onto both myself and Marcus at the same time, sprawled out between the two of us. "Aro, my love, what happened back there? You never get like this over a trial, let alone after reading someone. You've freaked everyone out. Jane and Alec are worried sick trying to find you. You've never been gone for more than twenty minutes."

No longer crying, Aro truly felt limp in my arms, almost the same way that Caius felt when we had that fight. his once nimble hands were fumbling, trying to reach out to our blonde mate. Caius took the hint and held his hand, letting out a deep purr as Aro closed his eyes.

We stayed like that for almost ten minutes before more fuss was heard outside of the attic. Caius hissed and gave Aro's cold hand over to me. I smiled at my hurting mate and took his hand, holding him close.

"Just don't come in here, guards, we can handle this," Caius ordered the guards to leave our mate to us. "I have as little of a clue as all of you but I'm sure the truth will come out."

A few hushed voices could be heard from outside before Caius closed the opening again, scurrying over to meet back up with us. Caius let out a worried noise before running a hand down Aro's back, making the slightly taller man flinch.

"Please, amore, tell us what happened," Caius pleaded, looking at Marcus desperately. "You looked worried too. What happened in trial today? Please, I don't want him to-"

"Caius," Aro whispered, eyes still closed. "Mi dispiace."

"No, no mio amore there is no need to be sorry. There is nothing to be sorry about," our blonde mate insisted, rubbing his back lovingly. "I just want to know what's happening to you, il mio amore. I love you so much, Aro."

"Ti amo anch'io," Aro mumbled, hand now back to Caius'. I smiled as Aro started to come back to life, nuzzling himself against my neck once more. "I shouldn't have ran."

"Tesoro, you were scared," Marcus comforted, "It's okay to run when you're scared, mio re."

"Marcus," the brown-haired vampire chuckled and made his way over to our newly formed cuddle pile. Aro was being soft right now and I honestly loved it. Getting to see him express his emotions was relieving. Most of the men I knew would never show anything on the outside, bottling it up until they exploded. "Ti amo."

"Ti amo anch'io, Aro," our mate started to let out small purrs as Caius ran his fingers through Aro's hair. "We - let us go back into our room. The dust around here is terrible for human lungs. Astraea should not submit her body to this sort of environment."

Aro nodded, pulling himself away from me. The purrs that once came from his chest halted, his eyes shifting downward. I smiled, walking over to where he was in the dark. Moving my hand up, I brushed a bit of dust off that had found itself on my mate's handsome face. My raven-haired mate smiled and held my hand, still needing comfort after his emotional outburst.

From what my mates had told me about vampires, they didn't cry very often. In fact, vampires who have not found their mates lack the emotional capacity to shed tears. Not that they don't feel strong emotions, but according to Marcus mated couples' emotions controlled them, unlike the vast majority of unmated vampires. Aro was distressed, so he cried. It was simple, really.

No guards lined the walls of the ancient castle. I suspected that they had went to their rooms in order to give us some well needed privacy. Unlike before the trial, the corridors were silent. I hated silence, in any form. I yearned for the rustling of blankets or the chattering of birds. Now, there was nothing but pure, tainting silence.

Uncomfortable as I was, making conversation didn't seem right with the situation I had been put in. I could survive discomfort as long as it kept him feeling okay. Aro is the one that needs that, not me.

The walk back had been tense, filled with questions with no foreseeable answers. My raven-haired mate refused to answer the questions posed by Caius and I, so how did we know that he would tell us once we got to our golden bedroom. Aro was upset about something that he saw, and it seemed to me like Marcus knew. That strange look in his eye when those red eyes of his glazed over and just found... horror. It was horror and near despair that plagued my eldest mate's maroon eyes, not unlike Aro's.

Finally back into our room, Aro took it upon himself to run into the bed, piling himself under multiple layers of gold bedsheets. Marcus chuckled at the behavior, shuffling over to meet him. My tense mate pulled Marcus under the covers with him, forcing him to be devoured by the silk sheets.

"Aro," Caius said in a worried tone. "You have to tell us what happened back there. You haven't done something like that in over a millennia, amore."

Marcus was the one to look at Aro first, head turning down on the mate in his arms. He sighed, whispering something inaudible to our mate. It seemed as if Caius could not hear either, with him letting out a small hiss. There was an important thing to know about my mate: he hated being left out.

Half a minute passed before Marcus spoke up once more. "Caius, you are either going to believe Aro in what he saw during trial or you are not. I do not wish to jeopardize anything because of what we both saw."

"What?" Caius huffed, looking offended as all hell. "You think I wouldn't believe my own mate?"

"Just..." Marcus trailed off for a second before coming back to him, "Amore, I know for a fact that the way you were turned and what happened to your family hurt you in ways that we cannot even begin to describe-"

"WHY ARE YOU BRINGING THIS UP RIGHT NOW?" It was not anger that plagued Caius' shout, it was pain. Almost on the brink of tears himself, the vampire king took a step towards the door. For a second I thought that he would run out of the room just as Aro had after using his gift on that girl. Alesia.

"Amore, please don't be upset, I promise it is quite relevant," Marcus' words were rippling together, fast and almost incoherent as Caius became more and more undone.

He stayed in the room, tears threatening to fall out of his immortal eyes.

"Fine," was all that Caius muttered, looking down at the ground below.

"Okay," Marcus said, relieved. "I think I know who that leader was. The one that took her whole family. The bonds-"

"No!" A single tear fell from my mate's face, burning like acid through our bond. "No, no, no. No you can't be saying what I think you're - Marcus please."

My mate begged, pleaded with our shared mate. In a snap, the lightbulb went off inside of my head.

Aro stifled a cry of his own before looking at our breaking mate.

"Cain."

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ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ:

Hai un aspetto regale. You look regal.

Brucerò io stesso tutti questi rumeni quando ci metterò le mani sopra. I'll burn all of these Romanians myself when I get my hands on them.

Cosa è successo? What happened?

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ɢᴏᴅ, ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴡᴀꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ꜱᴜᴘᴘᴏꜱᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ. ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ, ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴡ ɪᴛꜱ ʜᴇʀᴇ. 

ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴘᴏꜱᴛᴇᴅ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ɴᴀɴᴏᴡʀɪᴍᴏ ʙᴇɢɪɴꜱ. ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ, ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛɪɴɢ ɢᴏᴅᴅᴇꜱꜱ ɢᴀᴍᴇ, ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴍᴀʀᴄᴜꜱ x ᴏᴄ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 2 ᴍᴏɴᴛʜꜱ ɴᴏᴡ.

ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ɴᴀɴᴏᴡʀɪᴍᴏ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ɢᴏᴅᴅᴇꜱꜱ ɢᴀᴍᴇ, ꜱᴏ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴜɢ ᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀꜱᴋ ꜰᴏʀ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇꜱ. ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ɢᴏ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɢᴏᴅᴅᴇꜱꜱ ɢᴀᴍᴇ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴏᴜᴛ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀꜱ ꜱᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴀꜱᴘᴇᴄᴛꜱ ᴏꜰ ɢʀᴇᴇᴋ ᴍʏᴛʜᴏꜱ (ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ɴᴇᴡ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪᴛ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ) ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴠᴀᴍᴘɪʀᴇ ʟᴏʀᴇ.

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