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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐬. Vampires in the same room as wolves, what a joke. If my family could have it their way, they would be ripping these abominations apart, savoring screams of terror that would erupt from their fringed lips as venom took over their senses. A sight to behold, that would be, but not one for today. They may have been saved by a true mate bond now, but one attack would mean certain, painful death. Quick, but never painless. Wolves don't show that kind of mercy, not to people who have hurt our own. The pack will always come first. Over everything and everyone.

Even with all of the tensions my mate seemed calm, almost serene as he sat down on the couch. We hadn't made any more conversation. I would rather not talk to the man who seemingly planned an attack on my family. Being mated to him felt like a betrayal in and of itself. Our bond... it wasn't meant to happen. A wolf and a vampire would tear each other apart before they learned to accept one another. Still, my Alpha said that I will be with him, so I will, but that doesn't mean I have to be nice and sweet about it. Damn my blind obedience to my father. I would rather die at this point. Just looking at his face made me want to tear my beautiful hair out.

Ridiculously tall, abnormally gorgeous, and tranquil, just what I didn't need in a mate. I'm no calm woman and I run around for fun. Shouldn't I have someone who can match my energy, understand the way I work? Mom and Dad always match each other in the ways they work. Even when Mom is calmer, she's still a ball of radiant energy needing to be tamed. Devi and Onno are just like me, just with one being far more submissive in nature. Onno would never go against the word of the Alpha, unlike Devi, who sometimes decides that rules are meant to be broken and changed for one specific situation. Rue and Reed are both calm, able to snuggle all day if they've finished their chores and pack work. This vampire is weird and not what I expected whatsoever. I couldn't help but judge everything about him, assessing the good and the bad. I had a right to if I was stuck with him.

Lord, and then there was my mortality. Wolves die together, going into whatever the beyond is with their mates. Our souls are bound together, as are our bodies. I won't age. I won't die like a normal wolf. This stupid man has rendered me an immortal wolf, not what I wanted. I want mortality, the ability to have normality. Whatever normal is. We aren't normal people. We don't fit in anywhere but with our own kind anyways.

A sharp click rang through the house as someone opened up the door. I shifted my stance, sniffing for whoever it could be. Father. His scent hinted at his power, but only when he stepped through the old rusted door did I feel the full impact of his title. It was an odd thing, being able to smell who's in charge or who's with who, but it helps keep things in order. Almost like a little wolf gift of our own, not that I would compare our perfectly heightened senses with those gifts vampires have. Disgusting. Awful comparison.

"Wow, nothing's been destroyed yet." It was calming to hear his human voice. Sometimes the wolf inside of him gets a bit too poetic and/or scratchy. His humanity is clear cut, fatherly. "I have to thank you for that. I hope my daughter hasn't hurt your pride too much with her insults. She's a bit opinionated, but she means well. You must know the pack bond is the most sacred aspect of our society. And, well, you four put that in danger. I should warn you, my tongue may not be as sharp as hers but my fangs will be into your neck the second you break whatever ounce of trust I've given you to not harass my pack or harm any of my family members."

Silence still lingered in the air. Dad chuckled before grabbing a mug for himself. "You're not a talkative bunch, are you? Usually I'd expect preachings of how you're the better species and how we're a bunch of uncontrollable mutts. That's what I hear from most of the vampires we kill in the area. Sorry about them, but they attacked our pack. You should know how that works by now. Hell, I already told you." He paused for a second before turning to the couch that the bloodsuckers were sitting at. "Come on, you can say something. I know you aren't mute. I heard you chatting amongst yourselves while my daughter brought you back into the house."

"Is that an order?" The little girl asked hotly. "Because we don't take orders from people like you."

"People like me?" He repeated with a chuckle. "My, my, you're a tricky one. Let me guess, someone's not happy that she's not the best in the room. I see the necklace you have on now. Clear in the daylight. Volturi. From the level of caution you took finding us, which was nothing, it should be obvious to see your rank being higher than many in your coven of bloodsuckers. Elite guard only consists of four members that I know of. Let's just say I have experience gathering information from the vampires that traverse Washington, so no need to ask about how I know that." All four of the vampires paled further, if that was even possible. "Anyways, you're the elite, the best of the best, which means that you think of yourself very haughtily. That makes sense, being a part of the vampire government. Your masters must be very proud of you getting caught, but that's besides the point."

"And what the hell is your point?" She sneered. Bad idea little princess, my Alpha knows how to deal with bratty kids who don't know their place. Who the hell turns a kid this young anyways? She can't control herself around older people! I would be ashamed if I acted the way she does. "Again, I don't answer to people like you. I'm stronger than you."

The boy that looked around her age placed a hand on her shoulder, a signal to stand down and not continue her behavior. Thankfully a few of them have common sense. Then again, I did have to knock out that other vampire. When is he going to wake up? I didn't even use diluted venom on him. Well, if he's dead that just means more flames to our house fire. Actually, scratch that, I don't want the place to reek of burning vampire corpse. That's disgusting. What a shame to my attuned senses.

Father shifted his stance, placing the mug that he'd filled with water into the microwave before turning back. "This has nothing to do with strength. You are nowhere near as strong as a wolf Alpha. Perhaps you may overpower one of my wolves, but I alone have more power than you could ever imagine. Strength is the pack, and the pack currently has enough strength to take down small vampire covens with ease. I'm surprised that the best of the best, the adopted children of the kings themselves, would dare get themselves into such a tricky situation. My teeth are at your throat and you're talking like you have a gun to my head. No, I have the gun to your head, and if any more disrespect comes from you I will pull the trigger and leave the Volturi crippled until further notice."

"And ━" Father looked at me and motioned for me to continue. "You just took an order from me earlier, which means you're fully capable of not being a little brat. Just because you do not age as we do does not make you stronger. You're stubborn and limited beings. While your senses are heightened they have nothing to center on, which makes you weak. Being able to go at it alone may seem like a strength, but it simply is not. With one thought I can call my entire pack, or send out a message. We are efficient, tactical, and strong. Of course, I wouldn't expect a vampire to understand our nature. Your perspective of us seems to be warped by a false sense of superiority. Every strength you have gains a weakness, unlike us. Our wolves were created to be the epitome of a supernatural superpower."

With that, the girl slammed her fist down on the table in front of her. What lies she must have been told about our natures. Lone wolves don't exist, they create instability. A pack as large as ours would have no problem taking her down. Give us a few minutes and our fangs will grow, sharpening to a point before ripping into her porcelain skin. What luck they were given by nature, to have me be mated to one of their own. It's all that holds us back from turning them inside out with fear, with our venom we have stored for situations like these.

Clearly whoever taught this petulant child that she's the best thing since sliced bread needs some pointers on how to raise a kid. She's unstable, haughty, and loud about her bigotry towards wolves. Children of the Moon wouldn't need to hate vampires if they didn't try to kill us every chance they get. Calling us beasts. Lord, they're the damn beasts, killing people and vampires alike who don't agree with them. Most cannot even form a coven, too obsessed with themselves to get it though their heads that other people matter as well. No team effort means being alone, and being alone in the supernatural world is weak.

Vampires are the peak of weakness. Always have been, always will be. The only thing they have running for them is conditional immortality.

"We have other things we should be discussing," my mate's voice made me want to throw a chair at him, but hurting him would only make Arcadia upset with me. "Like our living situation. I am afraid to say that I cannot simply abandon my coven to live amongst an illegal werewolf pack. I also cannot leave my mate. Doing so would have disastrous consequences. And it's illegal for me to reject her. If we don't figure out something I will have to take her with me and leave for my homeland."

"You will do no such thing," I hissed at him, angrily washing a dish from the sink. "I am not someone you can throw over your shoulder and pack away to some far away land like a little princess. I am never leaving my pack. Also, we are not illegal. Beings cannot be illegal. It is stupid to outlaw a complex sentient species. This world isn't just yours, it's also ours and we have every right to live in it as you do. Plus, we don't even kill human beings! If anything, it is you who should be illegal and slaughtered at every turn."

Anger pulsed in my core at his blatant bigotry. What, just because I exist I'm illegal? Vampires were created after werewolves. We have a higher claim to this damn world. Stronger, faster, better social hierarchies. Of course, vampires are cowardly creatures who kill what they cannot begin to understand. Cowards, bigots, classless ━

"Amore ━" I cut him off with a snarl.

"You have no right to call me that, Felix Volturi. My name is Aurora and you'll use it. No fucking pet names. I'm nobody's love," I hissed at him, my eyes starting to turn yellow with anger. The young vampire boy whimpered as my teen sharpened, fangs now on full display for everyone in the kitchen. My father gave my mate an apologetic smile. "Just because my wolf seems to like you doesn't mean I will. I already told you that."

"There's no need to be so cross with me ━"

"I have every right to be as cross with you! Plotting an attack on my pack, ruining my whole life. You were ready to kill us, not that you could. If there wasn't a string of fate connecting us I'd lock you in the dungeons and torture you for the rest of my life before passing on that job to my children." He looked hurt, but I didn't care. I was pissed and ready to tell him just how damn much I hated everything about him. "I hate you. I fucking hate you. Get that through your sick immortal skull. I'll never be yours. I may let this bond exist, let it not be rejected, but I don't want you. I don't even want to be around you. If I had one wish it would be to let me kill you, Volturi scum."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐱'𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. While it would be expected for a wolf like her to hate a vampire like him, it didn't help the pain he felt hearing her spite their bond, that precious bond he'd heard so many good things about, with such loathing. It wasn't just hate, no, that would be too easy. She truly loathed everything he could bring. She didn't want him the way he wanted her, and that was hard for him to bear. What was a vampire with a mate who wishes death upon them? A lonesome one, perhaps.

Aurora's eyes were a glowing, pure yellow by the time she stomped back up to her room. The vampire could hear the old door slamming as she rushed into a safer place. He wished that she would come back down, hear him out. Hell, he would rather she continue to tear his heart out with her fiery words. Any contact, any words exchanged were better than deafening silence. He couldn't feel her, not a little. It was as if her presence had simply vanished. The bond was supposed to let him sense her, but Felix supposed that her werewolf nature hid her away from him.

"I apologize for my daughter's words," the Alpha apologized to the emotionally wounded vampire. "She's never been good with new people, or beings other than wolves in general. She takes pride in her heritage and sees you as a way to stomp that out of her. I can say that in raising her that she is a loyal wolf, but winning that unwavering loyalty will take time. Pushing you away will only hurt her and Arcadia, which is not what she wants in life. Arcadia and her pack are currently her top priorities when it comes to protection, and rejecting you puts us all in jeopardy."

Felix said nothing back, simply averting his gaze to his fallen soul-brother. Not dead, of course, but simply knocked out. The vampire couldn't remember the last time he'd been knocked down, let alone knocked out. The closest Demetri had gotten to that was when Cullen was still a part of the Volturi, in the old ages when Felix knew little about vampire society. He wanted to laugh at the memories that resurfaced, but stayed silent. No laughter could come through when he felt so damn stupid, out of touch with what he truly wanted, his mate, the same woman who'd knocked out this tough vampire soul-brother of his. Normally he would attack anyone who dared do something like this to Demetri, but Felix knew that Aurora could rip him apart and he'd only plead with her to stop.

As a few more wolves started to enter the house, the fallen vampire roused. His red eyes shot back open while many young children spilled into the house, immediately running away from the vampires around them. Felix couldn't blame the young pups, they must have heard stories of what his kind does to wolves and their packs. Slaughter, they slaughter them. All of them. Leave one alive and you'll find yourself with an army, that's what he remembers his Master Caius telling Demetri when he went out on a mission.

It always seemed so cruel to Felix, killing the children, but after the plague of immortal children last century he'd become desensitized to such things. Life, death, it didn't matter to him anymore. He had a job, and he would do it without his conscience trying to pull him every which way. A vampire with a conscience is a weak vampire, he can hear Caius' voice now, and weak vampires do not get to be a part of my coven. After all of his lessons he can only remind himself of the teachings he's been given, even if they go against everything he'd ever wanted to do. Why? He couldn't know. Whatever it was, he knew it laid with the long lost memories of his humanity, destroyed as Aro's venom pierced into his body, coursed through his veins, and turned him into a monster that all humans would learn to think is a fairytale.

Felix watched the children run and his brother come back into consciousness. Demetri's red eyes then pinned around the room, looking for danger. Just as he was taught, Felix knew. They were all built for war, or at least trained for the inevitable attack. Volturi, while a coven admired by the majority, were dangerously hated by many other covens. He knew that if push came to shove, he would be able to defend against any Romanian or otherwise that wished to attack him. It was ingrained into his mind since his turning. Hell, war was why he turned in the first place. Or why Aro decided a strong man was worth his time, anyways. 

"Why do they have to be here?" Felix heard the voice of a young man. About twenty, if he had to guess. Not much older than him before his turning. He turned his head around to see a darker skinned man with pitch black eyes. "Out of everyone who could have been here, we had to actually have the vampires in this house?"

"I did send them here, Veter," the Alpha said to him. "Why don't you go upstairs and talk with your cousin?"

The wolf sent Felix a warning glare before going upstairs. The red-eyed vampire had to bite back a snarl. Nobody was supposed to be near his mate, even if this man was her cousin. He knew it was irrational, that nobody would be taking his mate from him, but he couldn't help but feel a claim over her. Felix would give her as much space as she needed, but the bond needed to deter any potential suitors. That was it's whole job. She's taken, even if she doesn't like it. She knows it. The vampire knew the feeling had to be mutual, that instinctive claim, but he also knew she was battling herself over it.

Demetri sat back down on the couch, looking almost embarrassed that such a small wolf had taken him down. Demetri Volturi, the best tracker in the world, knocked out by a girl not even five feet. Or at least he thought she wasn't five feet. He would have to ask that question when she finally came out of her room. Lord, he wanted to know those things. Everything about her was a mystery, which didn't help their bond.

Gods, the bond. What a precious thing they shared. Would she acknowledge it when he tried to talk to her? Would she disregard everything that was holding their souls together and wish death on him once more? He didn't know if he could take any more of that horrible language she uses against him, but he wouldn't lose hope. There's always a way to get your soulmate to love you, and Felix would figure it out, even if it meant setting the bloody moon on fire. Fuck, he should be buying a spaceship off the black market now. Can a moon even burn?

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐧𝐨, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦. Why did I leave? Well, I don't really know. A flare in my temper, perhaps, or maybe it was just the presence of the vampires making me wish to flee. I'm in no way a coward, but leaving did make me feel like something similar to that. Leaving confrontation is just as bad as abandonment, which is I guess what I just did. Then again, I guess I won that fight in the first place. I couldn't help but feel bad that I wasn't back down there, fighting against more vampire attacks. It's rooted into our culture, our very DNA, and now I'm here, upstairs, sitting like a lame duck.

The fight is in my blood. Everything we stand for is based on that very principle. Save our people from vampires even if it means facing against them, sacrificing ourselves in the process. It's an odd existence anyways, being half human half wolf, but it's what we're used to. Losing whatever I've held onto for the past nineteen years of my life is the worst thing any wolf could go through. The structure of everything we do is what keeps us together, helps us move forward even when things lack hope and happiness. After every shift in sense I still couldn't have expected a mating bond to uproot my life the way it has.

Felix is not who I want, I know that much. Even with his dashing features and ridiculous height that for some reason I find incredibly attractive I can't ignore the fact that he planned to attack me. It's like finding out that the person you're going to assassinate is the one person who you're supposed to love. Hell, that's exactly what he did. He found someone to love at the same time he found the person he's supposed to kill. It's miserable for me. Whether or not he feels anything towards me doesn't matter. We're enemies, two sides of the supernatural spectrum that were designed to kill each other in the name of our people, our safety. He's still a vampire. He kills people, kills my people. That has to mean something or nothing that I stand for means anything anymore.

Sticking to what I know... that's what I'll do. I'm no vampire and I'll never be one. Once a wolf, always a wolf. Arcadia is my other half, the part of my soul I'd never wish to cut off. She's the side of myself that I've always admired. Fast, intelligent, kind, energetic, snarky. Arcadia is just perfect for me. No mate will be able to replace the bond I have with her. She'll have to know that I'm keeping us safe. Will she take my distancing as rejection? Would she be angry? I can't upset the one person that's stayed with me through everything, who's loved me even when I couldn't love myself. She's the best thing that I have other than my pack. Arcadia's what makes me a true member of my pack.

"Breaking hearts today, are you?" I whipped my head around to see Veter. He knows me better than almost anyone. Of course Arcadia knows me the best, but my older cousin is a close second. His hair shined in the light, leaving my body on my bed in his shadow. "We got a hell of a scare out there. I never thought you of all wolves would be mated to one of those monsters. I mean you hate them so much that you swore last week you'd kill them all with your bare teeth. What could have changed?"

"The fates seem to hate me more and more each week," I groaned, pulling a blanket over my face. "I still hate him, you know? Nothing is going to change that. He's a vampire and I hate vampires. Why would I accept that from him? He's supposed to be my mate, but he just feels like a dead weight in my life. Why should I need a mate who kills my people for sport? Just dealing with it isn't what wolves do, Veter, we take action and take things into our own hands. We do what's best for the pack and the pack alone, no matter what we have to sacrifice."

"I don't doubt that you'll do what's best for our pack, Rora." My frown lessened at the childish nickname he'd given me when we were children. "This may sound crazy, but what if your mate is just what you need, what this pack ━" I cut him off with a snarl. Veter sighed and sat down on the side of my bed, running a hand down the side of my face. "Don't get all growly on me until you hear me out. Maybe you being mated to a vampire could be good for this pack because we need protection from them. If this vampire knows the right people, is a part of the right coven, they'll be able to provide us protection against the rest of them. He doesn't seem too bad. I may have been a bit rude to him, but he didn't say anything against me. He was pretty quiet downstairs."

We both took a few moments to look at each other. I took myself out from underneath the covers, able to see his face. He looked stupid, but that's because he's my cousin. Cousins are supposed to look stupid to you. Sometimes they look so stupid that you want to slap their stupid faces. Veter surely has one of the dumbest faces I'd ever seen. With those big eyes of his and that afro that he sometimes brushes too much and makes incredibly frizzy, my cousin does his best to make himself into a moron. I know that and I love him for it. It's nice to have someone that looks like an idiot. Makes you look much better standing next to you. Nice self-esteem booster.

"Even if he's my mate, I already told him I hate him." Veter gave me a look of knowing and patted my little head as I rested on my pillow. "You know what that means. I don't just tell anyone that I hate them. I really hate him. All of them. The vampires. I won't give up who I am just to fulfill the mating bond. I can't, not after everything we've been through. Living all of our lives in hiding just because of our species. What would our ancestors think about me fucking the enemy? They'd hate me and do something to spite me. It was stupid of him to stay. He should have left me in the dust and made this easier for us."

"After knowing you for nineteen years I know for a fact that you don't hate anyone, just what they've done." I snarled at him, to which he growled right back. Damn him and being able to challenge me. If we were in wolf form I'd kick him for that. "Sometimes I wonder just how many times you'll actually mean that you hate someone. You may hate that he's a vampire but it's literally impossible to hate your own mate. You know that, Rora, so why are you doing this?"

"Isn't a bit of heated revenge the best start to a love story?"

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝. It would be overkill to send them everywhere, so the four best vampire guards in the world stayed at home most of the time. On a rare occasion like tonight they had to do their jobs well, but Aro hadn't heard back from any of them yet, and that was most unsettling for the raven-haired vampire king. His favorites, Jane and Alec, surely would have reported back already? With Jane being as clingy as she is it didn't make sense to the ancient man. One could only assume the worst with such deafening silence, but Marcus tried to calm his brother during this stressful time.

"They likely don't have reception, Aro," Marcus reasoned. "Our guards have never failed a mission. If we have not heard anything we should not fret. You will see what happens when they come back home, or better yet, when they finally get reception or time to call you. When was the last time Jane didn't pick up the phone? When she was stuck in snow during that battle up in Alaska thirty years ago. They are loyal guards who do their jobs well and always report back when they have the chance. Being upset or anxious over such things is illogical."

Aro knew his brother was right, but he couldn't shake the feeling of their bond being tampered with. It was well known that ancients could feel bonds (but not the same way as Marcus, who can actually see the bonds extending in front of him) and Aro was very much ancient. Terribly old, he felt. Like a father whose children have not called back after making their way to their friend's house. This wasn't a sleepover or a party, he knew, far less dangerous for his adopted children. They knew what they were doing, but the man couldn't shake the feeling of despair when it related to the lack of contact between the elite guards and him. It was odd, he hadn't felt this way in a long time about the four of them, but his feelings were strong, just as their bonds are.

Something about this time was different. He couldn't sense them as well as he used to. It happened right when they reached Washington. Nice state, he thought to himself. Even when he thought that he was trying to reach out through the coven bond, trying to find them. It made that much sense to him, which meant it was absolutely abnormal and made absolutely no sense. Why couldn't he feel them at all? The last time he couldn't hear someone was when his little sister almost got bitten by one of those wolves━

Aro immediately stood up, standing now in front of his throne. Before he could think further on the idea he felt his phone buzzing. Caius made an annoyed sound before he rolled his eyes at the way his brother was acting. The blonde vampire never understood his brother's constant anxieties about people like their guard. What more did they have to offer than their gifts or other talents (which he still didn't fully understand why some people were invited into his coven since they lacked so much that Aro would normally want. Ungifted vampires like himself were almost always unwanted by his brother)? Aro did his best to keep his composure as he took the call, nearly fumbling to get the damn thing open before it sent them to voicemail.

Thank the gods, it was Jane's phone. "Jane, dear, where are you? You never sent me any messages like I've asked you to. This is the first time you've done this and I'm very worried about where you are and what the status of the guard is."

A few giggles could be heard from the other end of the phone, inciting curiosity in the aged vampire. Jane's phone responded with, "Sorry, this isn't Jane, it's Demetri. Aurora knocked me out and you know I only recently woke up. Did you know that being asleep is kind of weird as a vampire? Yeah, never want to do that again. Anyways, right now we're stuck in Washington. Sorry, it wasn't our fault. Well, it was, but if you were in our situation you would have done the same ━ DEMETRI GET AWAY FROM MY PHONE! Father I am so sorry I didn't mean to fail! Please excuse that idiot Demetri━"

"Jane, what do you mean you're still in Washington? Why are you not at the Canadian border right now? Do we have a status on the Newborns and their small army? I know it was only five of them but I'd rather not leave the Canadians alone to deal with them by themselves." Aro didn't know what to say to them now that he knew they weren't in Canada. The elite guards were the best of the best, they don't just fail missions by not showing up. The most they've done to 'fail' a mission is when they decided that it would be best to not take down an entire wolf pack that was stationed in England. Yeah, that didn't end well for anyone. "Dear, why are you not in Washington? The truth, please."

"We may or may not have gotten sidetracked by some people," Jane said. Aro furrowed his eyebrows in clear confusion. Caius tilted his head over to be able to hear better. He sat in his chair, ready to hear what the girl was about to say. He knew Jane to be a fine soldier, always doing her part and doing it well. Better than most of the insufferable guards of the castle, he found her to be. Then again, Caius couldn't stand almost anyone. Too wrapped up in hating wolves and hanging around his wife to make friends outside of his brothers.

"Sidetracked how, Jane?" Aro pressed, knowing that he needed the full truth. Gods, the girl wasn't usually this cryptic with him. He thought they'd gotten past being secretive with each other. "I need to know what to tell the Canadian Coven when they come yelling at our doors. You know that we're not just any coven. We're the Volturi, Jane, we don't just leave people to deal with newborn armies on their own. If we don't provide a reasonable explanation we'll look bad and you know how I feel about the image of our coven━"

It was the first time that Jane had interrupted him in over three hundred years, "Look, we came across a pack of wolves and thought we would be able to deal with them and do our mission. It was the full moon and━"

Aro was accustomed to cutting off the girl, however, "Jane, are you telling me you stopped a mission to go after wolves?"

"Not just any wolves, Father," she started explaining and Aro sighed, not knowing what she was getting at. Wolves were a natural part of nature. Although the ones that turned into humans during the day were ones that weren't to be messed with and would be worthy of missing a mission for. Everyone knew the danger of those wolves. What was Jane trying to get at? "Father, I mean the bad ones, the ones that we fought so long ago. There were so many of them and we may or may not have found out some information about them."

"Are you there now?" Aro spit out, his heart almost restarting from the anxiety and pure worry that loomed in his chest. Wolves, she meant actual wolves, not just the ones that prance around in little packs and sometimes attack humans who are stupid enough to come too close. What a ridiculous choice she made, he wanted to say, but didn't. He knew that Jane's a strong little vampire girl who has taken on vampires far older and stronger than Aro himself. She's one of the best, if not the best vampire fighter out there. She's so small, but her speed makes up for that little fact. Coming back to his senses, Aro asked, "Are they dead?"

"No...." The verdict was worse than he could have ever imagined. A pack of true wolves on the loose in Washington. Who lives in Washington? Who truly lived there? He tried to rummage his brain for any covens he knew lived there that could help the guards take those wolves down. Aro cursed himself for his memory. He was usually good at remembering these things, but not under pressure like this. "Father, there were too many. There's too many to take down. They'll overpower anyone you try to send over."

"Did they capture you?" At this point Marcus and Caius' faces turned to something close to shock. This was the elite guards Aro was talking about, not some rookie guards with little experience fighting battles on their own or together. All of them were at least five hundred years old and have had centuries to hone their fighting skills. There's a reason they're elite. They have enough power to take down covens by themselves, newborn armies. It was the whole reason they were sent out in the first place. "Please tell me that nobody's...."

"Everyone is okay." Aro could breathe a sigh of relief now. As long as nobody had been bitten he could be comfortable getting them out. One bite would kill them, no matter how small. Even the smallest nibble would lead to a painful death. "But there is something ━" The phone cut off for a second before Aro heard Alec's voice on the other end, "Hi Dad. I'm so sorry that we failed you, but we're all safe here. I made sure not to say anything mean to the wolves so they don't kill me. Jane pissed off Aurora but her Alpha made sure she didn't bite her."

Sometimes Aro wished he could die, or at the very least sleep away all of his problems. This was one of those times.

"Alec, my boy, are you with the wolves?" Aro almost whimpered it out, but kept his composure for long enough to hold back his fearful tone.

"They're having a meeting right now. Hey━" Alec's voice cut off and was replaced with a much older man's voice. "I assume that this is one of the leaders of the Volturi? Well, we are allowing your guards to stay over as long as they don't harass any of my pack members. It seems Jane has already learned her lesson from her encounter with my daughter, Aurora. That girl can be quite a hassle, I must say. You should teach the child some manners, especially when we are the ones who could kill her at any moment. Anyways, my name is Ezra Canyon, Alpha of the Canyon Pack."

Aro furrowed his eyebrows. This was a Child of the Moon that hadn't been killed yet. This man was holding his children captive and he wasn't happy about it. Despite how he felt internally he played the role of a benevolent vampire king well. "I am sorry for my daughter's behavior if it was not up to standard. She is usually good around others, but she doesn't like wolves much. I will have to ask you to release━"

"They have not been captured, Mr. Volturi, simply allowed to stay here for the day. Your little guards would have been killed if it weren't for the little bond that saved them." Aro blinked a few times, dumbfounded. "You'll find out soon enough, Mr. Volturi. You see, I'm sending my daughter with your guards back to Italy to see if the country will be a good place for us to relocate. Knowing the nature of our bonds together, you won't be attacking Aurora when she comes over. Good day."

It was the first time anybody ever had the audacity to hang up on Aro Volturi.

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