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𝐀𝐫𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦. His guards were gone. Perhaps not dead, but this was the next worse thing. Those guards he raised up as if they were his own children were now in danger, trapped in the middle of a wolf pack that could kill them with one wrong move. Yes, they hadn't killed his precious kids, but they could, and that's the problem. He wasn't used to feeling this helpless. Always ten steps ahead of everyone, that's what he strived to be. Now they had the upper hand, keeping his children under their thumb.

When was the last time he'd dealt with wolves? Perhaps roughly two hundred years ago for himself in that outbreak in America during their Civil War. It was the worst time, killing that many wolves, and he was sure then that he would lose more than he would gain. Then again, his judgement was wrong then and it could be wrong again now, almost two centuries later. He couldn't bear the losses he could endure, not after everything else he's lost to Children of the Moon. Safety, peace of mind, and true security came with their destruction. No more violent outbreaks of the beings occurred, no more covering up dead bodies with the plague in order to keep themselves undiscovered by humanity.

He wondered why now. Surely the wolves couldn't have kept themselves hidden for all of these years. Wolves aren't immortal, meaning that they would simply age and die off unless they either had mates to breed with or turned someone during their time. Who could have the strength to turn this many people? Nobody had reported any unusual disappearances as well. It was all a little odd and unexpected in his eyes. Aro couldn't wrap his head around this, not when he'd done so much to eradicate the wolves over the past thousand years or so.

"That was odd," Marcus commented. "Care to tell us what just happened?"

"Did you not hear me speaking to them, brother?" Aro hissed in frustration, making Marcus roll his eyes. "Becoming deaf in your old age?"

"Gods he gets pissy when he's stressed," Caius butted in for his clearly offended brother. "Get it off your bloody chest before we have to strangle it out of you. Or just me. I'm jack shit with your shifting emotional states."

"Lovely to know that you're supportive, Caius," Aro seethed, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Anyways, Children of the Moon have captured our best guards and they're sending one of their own back for whatever godsforsaken reason, which means that we have a bit of a problem━"

Caius cut off his brother, "━What do you mean a bit of a problem? We're talking about those heinous beasts and you're downplaying━"

"I am not downplaying anything!" Aro snapped. "If our best guards could not take down a pack of wolves it means that there's too many of them, which means that if we don't play this right it could mean war with an entire pack of wolves on our tail. Guess what an entire pack of wolves on our arses means that this could, yes, be a big deal, but it could also mean opportunity." Caius gave him a look that screamed you're an idiot, but Aro paid that no mind. The ancient vampire turned to his older brother, who was listening in intently. "Look, I'm making sure that we get back our guard in one piece. From what the Alpha said his daughter ━ the one that's coming ━ almost ripped Jane's head off."

"Whatever did she do to deserve that?" Marcus feigned ignorance. Typical.

"Bad manners." Caius let out a snort. "This isn't funny, Caius! She could be hurt! She could be hungry! She's in there with wolves and you're just laughing about it!"

"I told you I'm not good with emotions," Caius stopped laughing to deadpan. Marcus chuckled before standing up to leave the room. "Where are you going, old man?"

"To see my beautiful wife, who is better company than the two of you."

"Right, right, better company━"

Marcus slammed the door behind him.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬. Why was I the one who had to follow them back to their little lair? Why couldn't have it been someone who could kill all of them and not just three of them. Everyone knows mates can't kill each other, so I'm already in danger if his people try to kill me. I can't leave one of them alive, it doesn't work like that. We kill them all if they mess with us. Actually, he's already supposed to be dead, but I'm not supposed to say anything about that because it hurts his feelings. Fuck my life.

The plane ride over was terrible, awful. The vampires smell up the place worse than us. We can hide our scent for their comfort. It doesn't go both ways. I can't stand the scent of vampires. It's like actual rotting flesh. Horrible. Honestly half the ride I wished that I could throw myself off of the plane itself. The worst part of the time I spent with those vampires was just how quiet they were. Whatever conversation Felix tried to make with the others was brushed off and finished quickly. I like to talk but I don't want to talk with people like them.

"We're here," Felix grumbled, shiftly making his way towards the plane door. I growled as he opened up the door for me, which only seemed to make him smile. Lord, I'm not trying to make the idiot smile! "After you, bondmate."

"Fuck off," I snapped. A few of the other vampires laughed at my response, which just fueled my burning hatred for all that they were doing. I would be led into an entire building full of murderous vampires and the only thing I have to defend myself is my yellow-eyed snarl. My teeth better do me some good in here because I am not having this. I could tell this man to fuck off every single day and I bet he would still try to get to me. Fuck that. Fuck this entire mission. If I wasn't given an order I would get my ass out of here and damn the rest of them to hellfire.

Jane's still pissing me off. She won't stop glaring at me. Wipe that stupid, haughty smile off of your childish face and go suck a push pop. If she doesn't stop looking dumber than my cousin I may just hurl her into one of those towers. Isn't that where they stay? Yeah, let me throw her up there. Would give me a damn good laugh. Normally I don't like hurting people but there's something about her that makes me say no, die.

Harsh words may not have been spoken between the five of us, but the tension was thick enough to hold a fully grown male elephant. I gripped onto my charcoal coat that draped down to my ankles, almost too close to the floor for comfort. As we walked, I felt the shift in presence, many locals staring at us. It felt judgemental, condescending, but I couldn't blame the people who have to share a homeplace with creatures of the night. Many may have found out about their ways, seeing the pattern of disappearances that vampires often leave in their wake. A people who must tell their children that going into the towers would mean imminent death, doom, and despair. It was all that they could possibly do with the knowledge of the supernatural world.

My fingers threaded through my winter cloak as we entered the main entrance of the Volterra castle. It had to have been built over a thousand years ago, the architecture dated and nearly broken in some places. The castle is exactly what you'd expect from a vampire, weeping with dark energy. My insides churned at the thought of going inside, but the sound of Jane's low whistle pulled me back into reality. The noise made me want to bite, to kill that stupid girl for making such annoyingly high-pitched whistles in the middle of the day. She wanted me dead, or at least furious, for sure.

If I was not annoyed before, I was now, and my annoyance was sending me straight towards the inner workings of my wolfish instincts. Controlling myself was harder than ever, even without the bane of a nearing full moon. The stars did not control me now, only myself, but I was never good at being human. None of the wolves were, it was why we never fit in anywhere but within our own kind. Wretched whistling would send us into a rage. Pet peeves became more like triggers than anything else, which became deadly when pitted against people who'd die from the venom that lays within our ever sharpening fangs.

Crinkling sounds accompanied by Jane's incessant whistling continued into the castle, when I felt the true stench of the reborn beings. It was like someone had tried to cover up centuries rotting bodies up with frozen roses and febreeze. This place was as good as a cemetery, full of people who should have died like the rest of the world's inhabitants. They shouldn't be here, they should be dead, along with the era they came from. While full of ancient history, the Volterra castle was nothing but an abomination to the Earth, to humanity and to wolves. What lives must die, and they break that fundamental rule of existence.

The area is deathly quiet. My arrival was known, but nobody came to greet us. My scent would fill the rooms soon enough, likely drawing out red-eyed monsters of the night. Felix stood by my side, towering over my much smaller frame. We didn't speak, I didn't want to see or hear him. His primitive presence gripped onto clutched at the very air I breathed, too kind and too calm for my comfort. My eyes stayed glued to the hallway, seeking whatever vampires were to come and greet us in the entrance hall. They should do better, I'm a guest here in their little dark academia palace.

Deep into the halls I could feel the shadow of someone lurking. My eyes darted to them as I nearly lost full composure, full ability to shield them from my true neon yellow eyes. The vampire hissed and rushed away into some other room, clearly too cowardly to take on a Child of the Moon himself. A weakness. They had enough here in the castle, from just how old it is to how they have it laid out. Not good for a battle, terrible for a war. There's little cover if a wolf were to invade, but they were clearly betting on their ability to eradicate us there. Maybe it was built before, then the Volturi could be posed as idiots hiding in a castle that could be taken over with just a few hits to the right walls.

 This place was not made for the soft-hearted. The stench is enough to deter supernaturals, but it's the general creepiness that would drive humans away. Unless they have some system of luring them inside there's no way that people would come in here willingly. It screams superstitious Christian hellhole, and most of the Italians outside this area are conservative Catholics.

"Should be here," Jane's voice chimes like an annoying wind up toy from the 50s. "Father would never leave us here with the dog alone."

I'd had enough of this little bitch already, but this was the final straw. The brewing anger inside of me reached its peak, finally bubbling over and turning into pure loathing. I'd never felt so damn disrespected by a mere child. My heart started to race as my vitriol triggered my fangs and glinted yellow eyes, showing the true monster that I could become if tested to my limits. Jane doesn't know who or what she's messing with. Perhaps other wolves with mates close to her would have given her another chance, but I am no coward who uses shitty insults against my enemies. If I'm going to insult someone, I'll make it worthwhile, memorable. Mine go down in pack history while hers are lost after the aftershock fades away.

A single sidestep was all that it took for me to lunge at her. Whether it be by pure luck or her vampire agility, she managed to doge my first attack. The black-haired vampire screamed bloody murder as my teeth bared at her. Everyone in the castle must have heard the scream, or the growls rumbling from me that were dipped in searing hot venom. Unfortunately for me, it was my own mate who held me back, grabbing at my arm to stop my second attack. I growled and attempted to bite at whatever I could, which was him at the moment. Betrayal wasn't something I'd expected from my own mate. She'd insulted me and here he was, defending her hide. She deserved my teeth in her throat, tearing apart the venom that coursed through her veins. Mine is stronger anyways, deadly at its core.

"Stop," Felix ordered me. I wasn't to be ordered around. He didn't have the authority to order me around when I don't even want him in the first place. Vile vampires will never have any control over me or what I do, not after everything they've done to my people. I'd rather have my soul damn crumble from rejecting him then follow him around like an attack dog. I let out more growls as I managed to take a large bite at the arm that tried to hold me down. "Aurora, that hurts! You aren't supposed to be biting me!"

As soon as my teeth left his arm, I heard a bloodcurdling scream come from down the hall. I whipped my yellow eyes around to see a woman with light brown hair and dark red eyes. The look of terror on her face was message enough to me that she'd seen me bite Felix. Just can't have a good day with fucking vampires around, can I? Not one moment of goddamn peace and quiet because people like to insult me and then get mad because I fight back. What else did they expect from a fully grown true wolf? Newsflash, if you attack a wolf expect teeth at your throat and a painful demise.

"Thena what is the mat━" A man dressed in all black with hair as white as the snow back in Washington came into view, clearly trying to comfort the woman, Thena, who'd likely just disrupted the entire castle with her screaming. If it wasn't going to be Jane that ruins me, it'll be her. Thank you, screaming lady.

The fair-haired man took a turn only to find the five of us. I was clearly being held over Felix's shoulder while that other boy Alec tried to tend to the new wound I'd made on his forearm. Whatever, he deserved it. If I end up killing him through my venom I'll rejoice in breaking the rules of mating and nature. Whatever happens to him doesn't matter to me. Die and let me embrace my cruel, soulless demise in peace and harmony. If my heats don't kill me, it will be the eventual starvation. What a lovely way to go. Just full of love and happiness for me today. That must be the case for everyone. Why else would Jane think it was a good idea to insult me today otherwise? A happy wolf would be forgiving to her. If I were allowed some peace in all of this I might have spared little Felix as well.

"Oh shit ━" he cut himself off, stepping back a few steps. This man looked utterly terrified, shocked that I would have killed Felix. Honestly, the guy should be in much more pain, Felix just looks like he was bit by a normal wolf. "Bitch just killed one of our guards ━"

"I feel fine," Felix muttered sadly before turning to Alec, who had backed off and taken Jane with him. "Go and find Aro, explain that Aurora is my mate and we'll be hosting her for a while ━"

"The mutt will not be staying here!" The blonde man exclaimed furiously, temper switched on and flaring wildly. "We killed their wretched species for a reason and I will not have it invading our castle like a festering disease. She's dangerous and cannot be allowed to live!" Whether or not he'd heard Felix's bit about me being his mate remained unknown. Whatever, he'd find out soon enough. "You two will send her to Aro and get her destroyed immediately. It is by law ━"

 "You will not be destroying my mate, Caius," Felix snapped, holding me close to his chest. I growled and continued to try and nip at him. He has no right to be wrapping his arms around me like I'm some sort of lover that needs protecting. I'm not his anything right now! A complete violation of my personal bubble ━ I should bite him again. "Aurora Canyon and I are mates, which is the only reason that the elite guards are still alive. Her father allowed us into his home, I won't allow his daughter to die because of an old dispute. She's mine ━"

"I'm not yours!" I screamed at him, kicking him in the side. Arcadia's consciousness started to get mad at me, I could feel it simmering inside like a heated fire. She wrapped around me, nearly taking complete control as I laid the blows on Felix's body. I cursed myself for this bond, I would until the end of time, but Arcadia... getting her mad wasn't a good idea for anyone, especially if I needed her to do anything. "I hate you for this and I always will. I'm not yours and I don't want you."

A wave of almost-silence washed over the hallway, pressed with lingering frustration between that childish brat and I. Nipping against Felix's forearm would do me no good now that all eyes were on us. That man with blonde hair stared at our group, assessing the drama we'd managed to start in the area. What a wonderful time, locked into the arms of a man who hadn't gained my trust in the slightest. If he were anyone other than my mate he'd be dead for this offensive maneuver. Although our souls are connected, my heart belongs to nobody. I wouldn't be his, not now.

"Mated to a wolf?" I couldn't tell if his tone held more fear or hatred, but it was flipping back and forth quickly. "You're coming back after failing a mission only to tell your king that you're mated to a filthy American wolf? Surely you must know that by procedure and by our customs you'd have to come up with a better excuse than that as to why you've failed an important task. I'd have expected better from you four. As for the wolf, kill her now or I'll do it myself. She's a threat to the humans and immortals here and her presence will not be tolerated any longer."

"What an idiot," I snarled. The blonde king let out an angry hiss at the insult, but I just laughed. "Thing is, you haughty self-serving bastard, you can't kill me without waging war against my people and losing one of your best guards. My pack has done nothing to your kind without being provoked, which you assholes seem to like to do. From what I've heard, you lot are old enough to know how us wolves work. Piss off a wolf and your veins will taste our sweet venom. As to being safe we had thousands of opportunities to kill your people and yet we haven't. War isn't what we want. We don't turn humans unless one of our own is mated to them. Unlike you we aren't a danger to humanity. We don't slaughter."

His face scrunched up in anger. If anything, his temper matched my own. "Oh I know what your savage people do, filthy little wolf." He took a step towards me, letting his woman scurry off to somewhere else. "It isn't pretty. I won't let you live. You should have known better so as to insult a king."

"A king is just a title and you know it. It can be stripped away in a second. Anyone can claim themselves king for a day in their fantasy kingdom." His snarl was much louder than my own. This would be fun, taking on another vampire. I could do this all day. "You may call yourself king, but true power comes from a bond you'll never understand. I am not your subject and I will never bow to you. True power comes from an alpha, which I will be for my pack someday. In the end, you could wear a crown and call yourself the king, but I'll still outrank you in strength and in political might."

"Now, what do we have here?" A tall brown-haired man appeared behind the king. He was lean, but not skinny in any way. I could sense muscle under his shirt, almost more than the other one. Caius. The blonde one's name is Caius. What a silly name. "Are we treating our new guest well? Or have I not taught you manners, little brother."

The man remained quiet, for now, likely embarrassed that his brother (which was clearly not his brother by blood, but by soul bond just by the way they looked) had called him out so thoroughly. Right, because vampires are such hospitable beasts with control over their tongue and teeth. He didn't have to hide it, I've already seen what vampires do when they don't get their way, or when they don't like someone. None of them like me anyways. What did I care about? I have my own people to fuss over. Life still has to move forward. The show must go on, and I'll be damned if I don't get a standing ovation at the end of my run.

"Our home is no place to host beasts," Caius quipped, never daring to look me directly in the eye. I could practically feel the seething hatred pouring off of him, radiating in waves as he spoke to his brother. To be fair, I'd never met a vampire with such disdain for wolves. Most either just wanted them dead for the fun of it or needed them dead because of their self-righteous laws. No, this man hates wolves. True wolves, at least, I couldn't tell if his vitriol spread to lycans or the shifters of La Push yet. Either way, I wouldn't trust this man within ten feet of my pack. He wouldn't get close.

 "This beast is going to be the death of you if you don't shut your mouth," I threatened with malice. Caius' chest let out a series of low hisses that told me he was beyond upset with the way I was treating him. Whatever, it doesn't matter to me. Get upset, filthy vampire, you'd never win a fight against me, the future Alpha. Many have tried, many have died. I flipped my hair as Felix let me back down on the ground, trusting that I wouldn't rip out any of his leaders' throats. Whether or not that trust is well placed remains a mystery. 

Arcadia whistled in my mind as my colossal mate stayed at my side the entire time. I hated it, but there was nothing I could do about the matter. His presence set my nerves on fire. With the mix of hate directed at his species and the beckoning mating bond I was stuck in between loathing and acceptance. Having the two co-exist would be difficult. Rejection isn't an option, not with how us wolves work. My mind would collapse into nothingness, leaving a weak and ailed body behind for others to mourn over. However long it took, rejection leads to a pitiful demise filled with horror. If there was any fate worse than death, it would be from that of a dejected wolf. 

The much calmer vampire brother sighed at the clear tension in the room, eyes glazing over. That glaze was the sign of a gift, I'd learned as such in my youth. Gifts acquired by immortality had limits like any other, but it didn't seem like this man was doing much of anything, simply existing in our presence as his eyes turned a glossy maroon. The glamour of his crimson eyes shone through as he finally came back from whatever gift he'd been using. "I see Felix has found his mate in the young wolf."

"Impossible. Marcus, you know wolves cannot be mated to vampires!" To test the oaf's logic was to test nature itself, and I didn't blame his brother for simply shrugging at the outcry. It seemed that this happened often, which isn't shocking given the temperamental nature of immortal bloodsuckers. "Are you absolutely sure of this atrocity?"

"Atrocity? This is wonderful news for Felix," Marcus shrugged off the complaints of his brother. "A vampire finding their mate is lovely, to be cherished and respected. You should know better, Caius, for you expected nothing less when introducing yours to Aro, Didyme, and I." That packed a punch, but he wasn't done just yet. "My gift has never been known to fail, therefore I can confirm that Felix and this werewolf are mated together, souls intertwined, and meant to be together for all eternity as a joined pair. If there seems to be a problem with this you may wish to consult our most sacred laws and rethink whatever it is that you do. One is not to hurt a covenmate's mate, for that is a crime punishable by death."

Deep quiet settled in, everyone knowing what was to come. There was no getting out of this for anyone. Felix would be my mate, my bond, forever. I would remain the same age for the rest of time and I couldn't change that. No growing old, no gray fur. Stilled in youth forever, what a curse. He'd cursed me. The ancestors cursed me with a bond like this. I couldn't have a normal mate. I couldn't have a normal life now.

Everyone is born to die. Some don't.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬. A room built for royalty, with three thrones places elegantly in a triangular order. Dignity, but also hierarchy. One was farther out than the other two, meaning someone either has a huge ego or has seized more power than their brothers. Unsurprising, knowing how vampires think. It's about the power, the goals, and most certainly politics, and whoever sat in the middle throne knew what they were doing. A political move inside their own coven that would only be caught in retrospect.

Within a second three men were in their seats. Marcus on the left and Caius on the right, both positioned well compared to their natural sizes. The middle man is far shorter than the other two, so perhaps he needed to be in the middle so he wouldn't be overshadowed by his brother's lumbering stances. Pitch black locks covered the top of his head, the darkness of it brought out by wine red eyes. His hair had a slight curl to it, almost hinting at a more childish nature to him.

"Ah, the wolf joins us." His lively voice was a bit surprising given his stature in the vampire world, but I listened on as he continued, "Your Alpha called two days ago letting me know of your upcoming arrival. I apologize, we have never had someone of your species inside these halls for obvious reasons. Now, if we aren't too busy, trial will commence ━"

I cut him off with a snarl, something becoming quite frequent, "There will be no trial because I have not done anything illegal by wolf law. We do not follow your laws and will never follow them. If you even try to pull such a stunt I will make sure that my entire pack is alerted to my situation so they can come in here and overthrow your stupid vampire government. My existence is not illegal and will never be illegal. If someone attacks a wolf the wolf is in their right to defend themselves. What is perceived as an attack varies from wolf to wolf and will be upheld in court. Reasons to kill vary from violation of territory, verbal threats, verbal degradation, violation of Alpha rights on home territory, or even attempting to break up mated pairs."

"She cannot just deny ━!" Caius started to exclaim.

"Believe it or not, brother, it is well within her right," Marcus cut him off with a sigh. "Wolves have different laws than us and I believe that if they have created their own form of government that they should be seen as people of their own court of law. Ms. Canyon has come here today to negotiate, not to be tried for a crime that we cannot prove she commited. Aro's gift does not work on Children of the Moon, it never has. Even my gift is muddled by her senses. All she can do to defend herself is through her and her mate's word, which would not be enough to save her if you were to decide that she is to die. If she dies, so does Felix. This trial Aro wishes to commence is not ethical in the slightest."

The raven-haired man, of whom's name I now know is Aro, took a pause, seemingly thinking over his brother's words. It was true, whatever gifts he held would never be able to work on me. I don't know what Marcus' gift is, but it must show what is around me because he wouldn't be able to see anything inside of me. Or at least I think so. That's how Dad explained it to me.

Once the pause lapsed over, Aro spoke, "Hmmm, that may be the case, but we have our guards as testimony if they spoke on what occured in Washington and if any crimes were committed. I trust my guard."

"One person's word cannot be worth more than any other, you know that, right?" I almost sneered out the sentence. "My testimony is just as viable as any others. I have not lied to you about who and what I am. I have given away information to you that would help you understand the nature of wolves and their laws. That was information I could have kept secret if I wanted. I am here to negotiate, not be put on trial. You are far too biased to be my judge, jury, and executioner. Plus, if we are talking about the vampire vs. wolf law, I am inclined to take you back to Washington and put you on trial for the crimes you've all committed against true wolves."

"The crimes we've committed?" Aro questioned.

"Yes, the crimes you've committed. All you've done over the past thousand years is slaughter my people and fill yourselves and your people up with a false sense of superiority. My pack has to kill every vampire that picks up on our scent because they come after us. None of these attacks were provoked. You are the government and should know better than to incite such violence against an entire people." The three kings looked down at the ground, knowing that I was right. Wolves are pack animals and care about their own more than any other, but we don't just attack everything that moves. If anything we look for other ways to control a situation if it starts to look dangerous. Attacking may be in our nature, but we are not normal wolves. As wolf as a human can get, true wolves are.

Quiet for a simple second, Aro took his next chance to make a point. "We are the kings of the vampire world, you a simple little wolf. You are heavily outnumbered and outmatched against the ancients in front of you."

"Again, if you attacked me I would be within my right to kill you all, and to think that I can't is to be a fool. I would hope that the oh-so-feared Volturi kings know better than to mess with a fully grown wolf, especially one second in line to a throne of her own. You wouldn't win in a fight against me just based on the fact that I've plotted out all of the cracks in this room. They collect, Mr. Volturi, and would be the main factor in my victory. Not only that, any mate would do anything to protect their other half, meaning that I have another person on my side." All three of the kings narrowed their eyes at Felix, who looked down at me. "It isn't up for debate. The only reason Jane is alive is because he held me back. I knocked out Demetri with a damn metal dart. You're weak up against true wolves."

"She's quite full of herself," Caius muttered under his breath.

"As she should be," Marcus droned, looking unamused by the show. "Ms. Canyon could turn her mate against us in the blink of an eye if she wished. That is fate. It does not have to be because of our role as leaders that we find ourselves falling victim to any provoked wolves. If what she says is true in the ways of her world, we have no reason to kill them any longer. While you have had trouble with them in the past, Caius, perhaps they have changed over the centuries."

 "You would actually consider stopping the hunt?" Caius snapped at his brother, infuriated at the prospect. "After they almost killed me! After everything they did!"

 "Marcus may be right," Aro cemented. "It may be time to let go any hate we held for the wolves of the past. These ones have done nothing to harm us and even spared the entire elite guard." The man looked over at his fuming brother. "I would not order her death. To have an uprising on our hands ━ the amount of blood on our hands ━ would be detrimental to remaining hidden from humanity. We could lose our guard, our lives if we were to attack a wolf coven. Wolves are not known to be haughty with their skills. They do not throw themselves at danger unless they are sure they will come out alive. You surely must know that."

 "She is young and foolish." Like you're one to talk, Mr. Barbie Doll. "We have never taken on a pack we couldn't kill. We have so many guards ━"

"Do their lives mean so little to you?" Marcus questioned. The only way they could win... it would be great a loss on their side. "We have two choices right now. Create an allyship with the true wolves now and survive or try to kill them, be decimated or almost, and then be overtaken by our immortal enemies and overthrown. I hope you are not begging for the latter, little brother."

It was at times like these I looked back on everything I'd been taught. An Alpha's prediction on the Great War in particular. Dad had his own power that nobody understood. Only an Alpha would be able to sense the things he can, and we just had to trust him. That trust comes at a cost when assessing whether or not something, a choice, could be what ends the world as you know it. What kind of deceit this could lead to, I didn't know. Being allies with the strongest vampire coven in the world could pull us further onto the path of no return. We didn't know when the War would come, only that when it did we would know. It always starts out slow in the stories. This can't be the Great War, not between us two. We don't have any allies, nobody to stand by our side. But the vampires... if we allied ourselves with them it could bring about a change needed to trigger that chain of events.

Playing a dangerous gamble, are we? Arcadia internally says with a deep chuckle. I cursed her for the game she's playing with my mind, prodding at the edges to get a better look at what's going on. I shouldn't have expected anything less from her, she's always been a bit of a troublemaker on her own. This new mate of hers is going to make her nuts. Great, just another thing I need right now, a hormonal wolf side looking for her other half.

You know I don't play dangerously, I shot back, hoping that silence would pass over long enough to keep her cover. You know that. Stop teasing and keep me safe.

Someone's on edge.

I have the right to be.

 Quietude did not last long, with Aro interrupting Marcus and Caius' exchange with, "If she is to live with a tongue as sharp as hers, we may as well put it to good use." Marcus sent his brother a curious look. "Well, she is the daughter of her Alpha, meaning that she has political power. She will speak for her species on things relating to the true wolves, including territory and such. The ban on their existence can be removed if they pose no threat to our livelihoods, don't you think? Why oppress a people if they do not deserve it?"

"One could argue that no species deserve oppression," I quipped. Marcus and Aro only chuckled, with the latter giving me a smirk. "If it is power that you were going to give, why wait so long to give it? Also, am I obligated under any of my powers to slap some manners into the little brat standing next to the little boy?"

"By 'little brat' I assume you mean Jane." I nod, much to his amusement. "The boy standing next to her is her twin brother Alec, if you needed to know. The two of them often travel together." The crimson-eyed man stood up out of his throne, letting his hair fall down his back in the process, before looking at Felix. "She is your mate and we will respect the bond between the two of you. The representative will be staying in your quarters as is per tradition."

As a small smirk appeared on Demetri's face, I knew just what to do.

"Of course," I said politely before looking up at my bondmate. "I'm locking the door."

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Some well needed dialogue for this chapter along with some sassy Aurora. This book is my main project at the moment, so the chapters should come pretty quickly. At least once a week, if not twice. Knowing how long this book is going to be, buckle up, we're in for a bumpy ride. This chapter is much smaller than what the rest of them will be. The average right now is about 6.6k words just from the first three chapters. Burn the Moon will be a long, grueling journey. Expect long paragraphs and internal hysterics, they're my favorite. My writing style is developing for this story and I think I like it a lot.

Just some clearing up: Didyme is not dead in this book, hence why Marcus is not depressed. He is reserved, slightly sad sometimes, but not a shell of a man. I like to play into what he was before his wife died in canon, because there is no way that the canon Marcus-shell would be able to be friends with Aro and Caius.

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