ꜱᴏʀʀʏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ꜱᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ, ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʙᴜꜱʏ ʟᴀᴛᴇʟʏ.

ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴀʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ: ʀᴀᴄɪꜱᴍ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴀɴʏ ʀᴀᴄᴇ ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴏᴋᴀʏ. ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ, ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴘᴜʀᴘʟᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʀᴀᴄɪꜱᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ʙᴇɪɴɢ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇꜱ ʀᴀᴄɪᴀʟ ꜱʟᴜʀꜱ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ, ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ ʀᴇʟɪɢɪᴏɴꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇᴛʜɴɪᴄ ʀᴏᴏᴛꜱ (ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴊᴜᴅᴀɪꜱᴍ). ɪꜰ ɪ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀʀ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʀᴀᴄɪꜱᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ, ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴄᴀʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏᴜᴛ.

ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ ᴡʜʏ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴀʏ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴇᴇɴ ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇ ʀᴀᴄɪꜱᴍ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʟɪꜰᴇ. ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴊᴇᴡɪꜱʜ, ɪ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴛɪ-ꜱᴇᴍɪᴛɪꜱᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ɪᴛ ᴀꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛꜱ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ. ꜱᴛᴇᴘʜᴇɴɪᴇ ᴍᴇʏᴇʀ ᴜꜱᴇᴅ ʀᴇᴀʟ ʀᴀᴄɪᴀʟ ꜱʟᴜʀꜱ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴍɪxᴇᴅ ʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ʙᴏᴏᴋꜱ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅ 'ᴍᴜᴛᴛ' ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʀᴀᴄɪᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴɴᴏᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ. ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴇʀᴍ. ᴠᴀᴍᴘɪʀᴇꜱ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴀʟʟ ꜱʜɪꜰᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴍᴜᴛᴛꜱ, ʙᴜᴛ ꜱʜɪꜰᴛᴇʀꜱ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴀʟʟ ᴠᴀᴍᴘɪʀᴇꜱ ʟᴇᴇᴄʜᴇꜱ. ɪᴛ ɢᴏᴇꜱ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴡᴀʏꜱ. ɴᴏ ʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴏʀ ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴇꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ. ᴡᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɢʜᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇQᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ.

Whatever was happening downstairs didn't matter much to me. Our party likely raged on through the night as my mates and I stayed together, snuggling and giving our affections. We would have stayed like that for the entirety of the next day if Jane and Alec hadn't walked in, Jane holding Helios in her arms.

"Mom, can we take Heelie out to the park?" Alec asked, unphased by the fact that all of us were under the covers, clearly naked. "We'll make sure that he doesn't get into any trouble, we promise."

"Take Afton as well," The two of them hissed, "Be nice to Afton, he's Heelie's soul brother as well as your fellow guard and covenmate. Wear your contacts when you go out and make sure that the wolves don't bother you while you're out. We don't want any commotion because they're racist."

"Of course, Mom!" The three of them cheered before exiting the room, Helios in their arms.

"How long do you think we will be staying here, il mio amore?" Aro asks from my side, kissing up my neck to my jawline, "How much food do you think we have left after that party?"

"Enough for at least one more day, Aro," my mate smiled before kissing my cheek, leaving me a bit flustered. Even after all these months, you still make me crazy.

"I am glad, Anna," Damn you and your mind reading, "You secretly love it, mia regina."

____________________________________________

Walking down the stairs of the house, I could see Rosalie and Emmett cleaning up, taking out all of the trash that had been left. Many of the guards were lounging about the rooms, taking sips of the bags of blood they would have to drink to satiate their thirst while they were unable to hunt in the town. You're lucky, Forks, because I wish I could hunt wherever I want, but I won't. I don't want to upset Jacob or some other dumb wolf that likely hates all vampires without even getting to see it from their perspective. Some of us are bad, but most of us aren't.

The racism that I had heard about coming from the wolves surprised me, as I would think Natives would know enough about how racism negatively impacted societies. They had been stereotyped throughout the centuries, so why would they do the same to us? One could say that if they had one bad experience to go off of, anyone could be racist, but clearly that isn't the case, so their opinions on the entirety of the vampire species was invalid and judgemental.

Thankfully Jacob hadn't made any negative comments about me being a vampire like he had to the Cullens. I think that my turning finally got through to him that humans are different, just like vampires. Hell, we all used to be human.

All of the bad blood between shifters and vampires did go back a long time, but if we all worked on understanding one another, things could change. Shifters and vampires don't have to hate one another just because of their species. Jacob was fated to be with a hybrid, that should be proof enough that things can change.

"What are we going to do today?" I yelp as Jasper runs right behind me, catching me off guard. "Sorry, sis, didn't mean to scare ya'"

"No, it's fine," I take an unneeded breath, "We can do whatever we want for the most part. After Heelie and some of the guard come back from the park we may go on a hunt. Of course, you don't have to participate if you don't want to, I know how you feel about human life."

"I'll stay back and wait for you all. There's lots of things to see in the woods and such. Plenty of campers in the area during the winter. You should have a good hunt," I smile and nod, looking forward to the prospects of actually hunting instead of just being fed by Heidi and her allure to the humans. "Rose, Emmett, and I will likely go to the lakes. Things are fun around there."

"No humans should stumble upon you in the sun," he nodded, "Also, make sure nobody breaks the ice on the lakes. It looks suspicious and we could be tracked. Technically we aren't supposed to be near some of the woods around Washington, but we know that humans don't follow the laws. It shall be their means for their demise."

A loud knock could be heard from the front of the house. Smells like a wet dog out there. Shifters. Damn, mother nature gave them the worst scent. We probably don't smell good to them either, but that stench will never get off the porch now.

Taking it upon myself, I run over and open the door, only to see Jacob and Renesmee. Both of them looked a bit awkward as they stood there at the front door, the shifter rubbing his neck in discomfort.

"Good to see you, Jake," I gave him a warm smile, not yet stepping outside of my father's home, "What is it that you need?"

"I wanted to ask you something," Jacob admitted. "Really, you're the only one who could answer something like this. I also wanted to congratulate you on making a fool of Bella. I used to like her, but now I can see that she hates you for no reason. You clearly love your son and I can respect that."

"Whatever you need to ask, I'll always be here, Jake," his face softened. "I wish that things could have been different between Bella and I. We were friends at one point. Her opinions on my diet, on how I thought about eating humans, shouldn't have torn us apart the way that it did. What I do isn't as destructive to nature. If eating animals did not further the extinction crisis we are dealing with on Earth, I may have picked up the diet like she wanted."

"That's the thing, it makes sense when you say it like that. She always talks about human life, but she never cares about the animals," I laugh. It was true, Bella never cared to think about what other life she took, the life of something that helped the world run. "Onto my question. I need an unbiased answer from someone that isn't Alice."

"Of course."

"I don't think that Bella and Edward are caring for Renesmee as they need to be. I have no clue how you take care of a hybrid, but I need to know if what they are doing is considered abuse or not," My smile falls as I took down at the young girl who clung to her mate, looking for his comfort. "They make her study all day, nothing else. Yeah, she has some free time, but that time is used for sleeping and eating. They aren't hunting as much as they probably should. Nessie is always hungry and they just give her the human food that she doesn't really like."

"Your imprint, which acts as your mate, needs to feed on blood multiple times a day. Helios drinks human blood from a blood bag. They eat when they get hungry, not when it is most convenient. If Nessie is using her mind, she will need even more food. Or if she is using her gift. A vampire's gifts use up blood," I explain. "Ignorance, maybe, but whether or not they are deliberately not feeding her enough remains unknown."

Edward and Bella aren't doing it on purpose, but they don't take her hunger seriously, since normal vampires do not grow and need as much blood as a hybrid child. Nessie is a bit underweight and her mind is not supposed to be strained as much as it has been.

"The studies need to halt. Maeve thinks it unwise to be pressuring her to undertake so many studies at such a young age. Helios is many months older and he spends many hours a day doing work, but he also has many days off if he gets tired," Jake nods, allowing Nessie to reach into his pockets and grab a little fidget toy. "I would hate to impose on the human vs. animal blood debate, but it may benefit her to drink off of blood bags during her growing years. Maybe after she reaches full maturity she will act like a normal vampire in her bloodlust, but I have yet to ask any of the other hybrids about how much they eat."

"No, you're right," His face turned to understanding, "Why didn't I think of that? She's a kid and needs to grow. They couldn't get animal blood into her before she was born and had to use human blood to help Bella and her, so it would be the same while she's growing outside."

"Have you talked to her mother about your concerns?" Jake nodded, "What did she say?"

"Yelled at me for even suggesting that she drink human blood. Claimed it would make her a monster like Helios. Kid doesn't seem like a monster to me, just sassy as hell. Plus, Nessie could never be evil or monstrous," I shook my head as he told the story, "Alice backed her up and Edward was fuming when Bella told him. I was just trying to help and they just turned on me after finally letting me sit in with Nessie during her lessons."

"They weren't letting you see her during the day?" Nessie shook her head before putting back her toy. "Nessie, how long have they not been letting you see your mate?"

"About four weeks," she says quietly, "It hurts when he leaves the room."

"Physically?" she nods, "That isn't okay, Jake. Mates have to be near each other. When Caius was attacked I had to be near him all day. Whatever restraints you two put on each other when it comes to distance cannot be denied. To do so is illegal in and of itself."

Speaking of the law against taking mates away from each other struck Jake by surprise. The law had been created many centuries ago and had never been broken, every vampire understanding that mates are sacred and are not to be messed with. Bonds pulling people together in such an intimate way can drive someone to insanity.

"Against the law?" Jake's voice was low, but deep.

"Yes, keeping mates away from each other is against the law. If Edward and Alice know this and continue to keep you two apart just because they want Renesmee to study, they have broken the law. I do not think it wise to conduct a trial on the matter, but such behavior in the future will bring us to their home and we will show them no mercy."

Before Jake could say anything, Aro had found himself beside me, holding my hand. "What is the problem out here, shifter?"

"Jake was just asking a few questions on how to raise a hybrid, Aro, no need to worry," I calmed my mate, who was clearly agitated by the presence of any wolf. At least you're being civil. "But yes, I can say that from my experience raising my son that hybrids should be drinking human blood, by a bag or from the human directly. I fear that your mate is a bit skinny for her age. Her mother was not this thin at her age, was she?"

"No, Bella was not as small as Nessie," Jake confirms.

"This is worrying," Aro admits after his eyes gloss over, seeing and hearing our previous conversation, "Cases of child neglect have never had to go through the Volturi, but they may in the future if more hybrids appear. Young Renesmee should be eating at least twice that of a normal vampire's hunt per day if she is to age correctly. The consequences of not doing so may be severe."

"Bella won't listen," Jake shakes his head as Nessie looks up at Aro, who is still fascinated by her gifts.

"You have our permission to take your mate if you feel that she will not be safe in the presence of her parents. Her mother and father are not her soul parents, which is not odd, as many are not destined to be parents. Without a bond such as that they have no right over the child in the eyes of the law. A mate is worth more than a parent, as a mate will drop everything just like a soul parent will. As I will always say, all children deserve parents, but not all parents deserve children," Aro gives his say on the matter, which surprises Jacob.

"I can take my imprint away from them?" He asks again.

"Take her wherever you wish. Inside of Italy would keep them away, as they are barred from our territory for the rest of time. Although I may suggest you tell them before leaving so they don't attack us."

"If they attack you, my pack will stand on your side of the battle this time," Jake promises, "Nessie means everything to me and as their Alpha they will listen."

"A good leader you have become, Jacob Black, but remember that three vampires can be dangerous, especially when one is a newborn."

"Do you think that you could let Nessie meet your son?" Jacob asks, "She's been asking to meet him all day."

"Come here tonight and he will be here. Right now he is at the park with his siblings," I invite the two of them, "Make sure that Edward and Bella don't know that you're coming here."

"Obviously, the harpy would kill me," Nessie cringed at the thought, "Hey, I'm not dying on you, Ness. As long as you're alive, I will be here. Forever?"

"Forever." The two of them are like siblings, but I can see how they're perfect for each other. Too bad they couldn't have met when they were older. That would make it less awkward. Fate has a way of fucking with people, doesn't it?

That it does, Maeve.