Shauna Black's POV
"Don't reveal your identity straightaway. Keep behind us and let us handle the fighting, at least initially," Jasper warned me. "It will be difficult, but you need to control your instincts of shifting as soon as you see the Volturi vampires, all right?"
I nodded.
"Good," Jasper said, nodding his head once. "We'll need the element of surprise."
He was right.
The minute we stepped into the Volturi's headquarters, it was utter mayhem.
Felix, an incredibly strong vampire guard, lunged at me, but he was intercepted by Emmett, who wrestled him to the ground. Meanwhile, Dimitri had his hands more than full with Jasper, who was a skilled and deadly fighter. Rosalie was going head-to-head with Santiago. Though Santiago physically had the upper hand, Alice was using her ability to help Rosalie avoid any attacks. Jasper managed to avoid Dimitri in a way that allowed him to also land a kick on Santiago. At that point, Rosalie took advantage of Jasper's help to subdue Santiago.
It was an extremely fast-paced and frantic bout of fighting. Then, Alice gasped.
"What?" Jasper called out loudly, noticing his mate even as he ducked from Felix's powerful blow.
"Shauna, you need to go! Now!" Alice yelled at me.
I lunged forward, bursting into my wolf form. The Volturi guards all yelled in shock and in fright.
But after only a moment, they returned to their senses. With a loud, menacing hiss, Santiago leapt forward, intending to grab me and stop me. But Rosalie headed him off, pushing him back from me with a well-placed kick.
Barreling past the many Volturi guards that were doing their utmost to stop me, I leapt into the Chamber.
Behind me, Alice was torn. Clearly, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie needed her help, and yet, the image of Carlisle and Annabelle that she'd just seen in her head was too much to bear.
"Go!" Emmett roared at Alice. "Go to Carlisle!"
With Emmett's encouragement, Alice's resolve hardened and she came jumping after me, lithely cart-wheeling over Dimitri's outstretched hands.
Meanwhile, I had already burst into the main chamber. Realizing immediately that Marcus was about to dispose of Annabelle, with a loud roar, I jumped straight into him. My paws hit his cold, marble-like chest. Then, sinking my teeth into his shoulder, I dragged him off of Annabelle.
"What -?" I heard one of the other vampires began to hiss in shock.
Behind me, Alice now entered the Volturi's main Chamber. "Carlisle!" she cried out. But before she could move towards him, Jane targeted her.
A cry of pain wrenched out of Alice's lips. Jasper, hearing his mate cry, threw Dimitri off and raced into the Chamber. He soared over everyone and landed directly on top of Jane. But without Alice and Jasper, Felix and Dimitri had finally managed to subdue Emmett and Santiago had managed to force Rosalie's hands behind her back.
Another Volturi guard, who had been stationed near the doorway, had finally caught up with me. He attempted to grab me, but he failed to subdue my bristling wolf form. Still, I did have to open my jaws and let go of Marcus to avoid this new guard that was targeting me.
Upon seeing the situation, Marcus stood up and holding his hand up to me, he said simply, "You move, they die."
Seeing all of the Cullens and Annabelle held back by their Volturi captors, I stilled. I had no choice. Warily, three guards came over to try to restrain me, though they didn't seem to know how to do it. A deep growl rumbled through my chest, and two of the guards looked anxiously at each other.
"Ah, nearly a happy family gathering, isn't this now?" A vampire dressed in elegant robes and with prim black hair spread open his hands as he spoke. I could tell that he was pleased at the sight of all of the Cullens restrained and forced to kneel before him.
"I see you didn't bring your shield. That was a big mistake," Jane said, her eyes glowing with fury. "And you will all pay for what you did to my brother today."
Annabelle, too, had been forced to her knees by none other than Aro's personal bodyguard, Renata. Annabelle's cloak was torn in half, and her dress, too, had a long gash across the back. Her head was slumped forward, with her hair covering her face.
Carlisle was also kneeling, though the vampire besides him, Chelsea, barely had her hand on his shoulder. Carlisle was throwing worried looks around at his family, and then, when he caught sight of Annabelle, he tried to shift towards her. Chelsea yanked him back impatiently. Carlisle nearly fell over, unable to put his hands out to catch himself. That was when I realized that Carlisle's arms stopped at his wrists.
Did they cut off his hands? I wondered.I growled furiously. The guards besides me shifted uncomfortably again.
"Silence, mutt!" Another vampire, dressed like the first, but with sharp features and chin-length blonde hair, glared at me. "The fact that the likes of you entered this domain is shameful. I will see to it that our guards are… better trained. In the meantime, however, one growl, one bark, one yelp from you, and I will end you now."
"Aro," Carlisle said. His voice was exhausted, but he still raised his head in a dignified manner as he asked, "What more do you want? What is it you want from me?"
"Now, this is a more interesting conversation," Aro said, nodding. "This is much better than having to sift through your young one's sad little love story."
Annabelle was still slumped forward, but she shivered at his words.
Carlisle merely said, "Tell me."
"What do I want?" Aro repeated. He paced around the room once. Then, he stood before Carlisle, forcing him to look up. Staring down into Carlisle's eyes, Aro hissed, "Give me Alice and Edward."
Carlisle closed his eyes. "Aro. Why can't you understand? They're not mine to give. They make up their own minds. They decide for themselves."
"Then, I can make the decision easier for them by killing you," Aro said thinly.
"No!" Alice yelled out.
Dimitri hissed at her.
"I'll go," Alice promised. "I'll join your coven, Aro. Just let Carlisle and the others go."
"Alice!" Jasper growled. "You can't do this!"
"You see? They are much more amendable than you think, Carlisle," Aro said, smiling. "It is you who underestimate their ability to choose."
"You aren't giving anyone a choice here, Aro," Rosalie hissed. "Don't pretend."
"Oh, my lovely, you aren't even in the game, so please, do yourself a favor, and stay silent," Aro retorted. "We are not so superficial here as to care for beauty."
Emmett growled, and Felix doubled his hold on him.
"Aro," Carlisle said quietly. "You forget how well I know you..."
Aro hesitated, glancing down at Carlisle. A shadow appeared on Aro's brow when he saw Carlisle's honest expression.
"Just ask me for what you want. Just say it, my brother," Carlisle said, now addressing Aro directly, Aro alone. "All of these long years that we have known each other, that I have respected you… When I first came to Volterra as a young vampire, I used to cling onto your every whisper, Aro. Now, all of these years later, do you think I don't know what you wish for? You took away my hands because I'm a doctor. But you don't care that I'm a doctor. You ask for Alice and Edward because their gifts protect our family. But you don't care about my family. So. Tell me what it is you wish for."
Everyone was utterly silent.
Carlisle's words had such power in them, and such dignity. He refused to play along with the Volturi anymore. He would not risk the lives of those he cared for to bargain for his own safety.
Aro knew this, and he felt this.
"You force my hand to the end, then," he murmured to Carlisle. There was more than a hint of sorrow and regret in his voice.
Carlisle said nothing.
Aro looked over at Marcus and Caius, who both gave him firm, slow nods.
Sighing, Aro admitted, "You're right, Carlisle. Without hands, you only become that much more of a martyr. Losing family members, too, only elevates your image before the eyes of others. That is why, after Esme died, your presence has created such a problem for us, you see."
Carlisle's golden eyes flickered when Aro mentioned Esme, but again, Carlisle remained silent.
"It gives me great grief to say this, my brother. But as I said, you have forced my hand," Aro continued solemnly. "You give me no choice but to announce the tragic solution, for it cannot be clearer that your presence has caused two vortexes of power in our great vampire society, and no society flourishes with two vortexes of power. There must be one, and only we, the Volturi, are willing to uphold the law. Therefore, it follows that there is but one conclusion, no matter how we wish to deny it: You must die, my brother. Once and for all."
"No!" Rosalie screamed, and her voice was more wrenching and pained than I could have ever predicted. For once, Rosalie's exterior broke, and she sobbed tearlessly. Though Rosalie had initially been furious at her transformation into a vampire, still, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward had accepted her into their family. Life became much more bearable after she found Emmett, but still, that time of her darkness, when it was just her, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward forever remained in her mind as the beginning of her second life. With Esme gone, that life had begun to fade away. If Carlisle, too, disappeared, Rosalie didn't know how she would find it in herself to go on.
Hearing Rosalie's scream, Carlisle bowed his head.
I shivered all over with tension. We came all the way here just for this? No, it can't be. There has to be something I can do.
But no matter how I thought about it, there was no way to proceed. The Volturi had endless guards. Even while Carlisle and Aro had had their exchange, more guards had entered the room, silently lining the circular Chamber wall. We were so obviously outnumbered.
I realized now that I had, once again, been utterly foolish. I thought I could make a difference. But werewolf or not, I'm powerless. I've come just to die, or at least, to watch Carlisle die…
No, you haven't.
I blinked at the new voice that had suddenly infiltrated my head. Who…? I wondered. Theo?
Yeah. Hold on, Billie, I'm coming. And I'm not alone.
Theo, I told you – you can't bring the others here! I said frantically, speaking to him through our mental werewolf link. Get out of here! You'll all die!
We won't, Shauna.
I gasped loudly in my head as I recognized this second voice. D-Dad?!
Yes, sweetheart. Mom, too, and Sam.
How can I hear all of you?
Because we've all phased and we're close by, Mom's voice rang out.
Yes, Sam agreed. Hiding until Edward, Bella, and Alistair can bring the key witness to end all this.
What? I said, confused.
A key witness. You'll see, Dad told me comfortingly.
But... the pack, I said worriedly. What about Quil, Liam, Rebecca, Marc, and Nadine?
Right. About that. I made Rebecca Alpha after you left, Theo explained.
What!?
Yes. Because the four of us decided to come after you, Theo told me. But after we left, Rebecca and the pack managed to find a vampire who was a key witness to the Volturi's abuse of power twenty-five years ago. Bella and Edward think that the witness can be used as political leverage against the Volturi.
Yeah, well, we need that, I said grimly. Even with Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper, we're very much outnumbered. I focused on the hopeless scene in front of me, and all of the werewolves could see what I was seeing.
We need you to stall, Shauna, Mom told me. Edward and Bella are almost here. But we need you to make sure that you keep everyone alive. I know it's a tall order, but you have to try.
We'll get in there early if we need to, Dad promised me. But it'll be far more effective if we can come in with Edward, Bella, Alistair, and Sabine.
Alistair?
An ally.
And Sabine?
That's the witness' name.
Billie? Theo's voice abruptly broke through my conversation with my father. You're not hurt, are you?
No… Wouldn't you know if I had? I said, confused.
I guess so. I just had to check.
At that moment, Aro's speech had ended as he announced: "Therefore, it follows that there is but one conclusion, no matter how we wish to deny it: You must die, my brother. Once and for all."
He gave a quick nod to Jane, who was standing nearby.
Shauna, go! Sam cried out.
I did. I launched myself across the room, easily throwing off the three guards who had hesitantly tried to "restrain" me. I immediately freed the one who could most help me free the others quickly: Emmett. Then, in one dexterous jump, I leapt over to Carlisle and pushed Aro back.
But, all at once, a spurt of searing pain slammed into me. I threw my head back and howled.
Shauna! Mom and Dad cried out together in anguish.
But no matter how I twisted and turned, I couldn't get the pain to stop. It was like an invisible demon clawing its way through my skin.
I whined hoarsely. My vision was starting to go red. I pawed furiously at the ground, unable to fight back but also unable to keep still as the red-hot pain flashed through me.
Shauna! Mom yelled again, feeling my pain.
What the hell is going on!? Theo shouted.
It must be Jane! I'm going in there, Dad decided. I'm going to kill Jane!
Jake, no! Sam cried out, as my father transformed before his eyes and began to sprint headlong to get to me.
That's our daughter! Mom shouted, and she followed after Dad.
Loud growls and the sound of pads pushing quickly against marble sounded out outside the hallway.
"Not another wolf!" Felix hissed angrily.
A moment later, my father, in his wolf form, burst into the Chamber, followed closely by my mother, Sam, and Theo. Horrified hisses and screeches filled the air as the vampires took in the sight of four werewolves and what was more – all of them were huge. Before, Theo had been the largest of us by far. But Dad and Sam's werewolf forms were much, much bigger than Theo's form. Whereas Theo still looked like a wolf, Dad and Sam looked like proper monsters with their huge forms and their bristling, shivering fur on end.
Suddenly, the pain stopped.
I lay there, whimpering against the cold marble floor, pressing my snout tiredly against the floor as I gasped to get breath back into my lungs. I felt a strong presence step over me protectively.
Dad...?
Yes, Shauna, it's me. Are you all right now?
Dad… Get out of here, I thought weakly. You're going to get hurt. We're so outnumbered. Even with the witness…
No, Shauna. You cannot give up, Mom told me sternly. Pull yourself together, my love.
That's right, Sam agreed, echoing my mother. We have to be strong. We came to fight, not lose.
Look, Billie, Theo said to me. Everyone's free again.
It was true. We had formed a circle together. Dad and I were at the center of it all. The vampires were grouped in the middle. On our left, Annabelle and Carlisle were standing together. Carlisle had pulled Annabelle to his side. They were both exhausted, and they were supporting each other. Behind us, Emmett and Rosalie were standing, watching the Volturi with sharp eyes. Alice and Jasper were side-by-side on our right. Alice's eyes were shut as she predicted the future. I hoped desperately that she could see the witness coming.
I slowly found my strength again and got up on my legs.
As he moved aside to let me stand up, Dad suddenly caught sight of Carlisle's sleeves. He whined slightly. Carlisle… His hands… He whispered, horrified.
I didn't know vampires could get hurt like that, Sam said, worried. I wonder what they did to him.
I don't know what happened, I told him. But Carlisle's hands were like that when I got here with the others.
"What is the meaning of this?" Aro asked Carlisle. His face was contorted with rage. "You would bring these creatures of filth into our domain? Carlisle, you have sunk even lower than I believed possible! I see I was wrong to try to save you."
All of us werewolves let out furious roars. Many of the vampire guards clamped their hands over their ears. But none of the three royals did. Instead, they screeched back at us, their high-pitched cries of anger clashing with our low growls of fury.
"Aro…" Carlisle called over the ruckus. "Don't you see? This is what you and your brothers have created. Law without mercy is not justice! For years and years, I have begged you to see my point of view – that all lives are worth saving – werewolf, human, vampire… You never agreed. And you see what you have created!"
"How dare you!" Aro hissed at Carlisle. "What I have created? The Volturi have done nothing but look after its own kind for millennia! We are not like you, Carlisle. We would not sacrifice our own for mere humans or worse, for werewolves. Neither would we be as arrogant as you as to impose our own moral beliefs onto every other vampire."
"I have never forced others to live as I do," Carlisle replied. "You know that, Aro."
"But it's what you want!" Aro accused Carlisle. "It's why you have amassed your own alliances to protest us, the Volturi, the rightful rulers of the vampire realm!"
Carlisle shook his head fervently. Gesturing to all of those around him, Carlisle replied, "None of us in this circle here wish to stand against you! We only wish for peace."
"Empty words, Carlisle," Caius hissed. "This - your little gathering here - is nothing short of a revolt."
Suddenly, Alice breathed out a sigh of relief.
They must be close! Dad thought.
Don't lose focus, Sam warned us. These vampires are itching for a chance to rip us apart. The barest hint of an opportunity, and they'll attack. Theo, stay close to me.
Theo growled affirmatively, but I could feel that Theo was itching to attack. Every fiber in his body wanted to stretch, lunge, fight, and bite.
Goodness, Theo, you are more Alpha than you thought, I thought wryly.
What?
Focus, Sam growled at us.
Sorry, I mumbled.
Just then, Jane saw an opening. Jasper had slowly shifted to protect Alice, who was focusing on her visions. That left Mom open to attack. Her high, pained whimper slammed into me like my own pain.
Mom! I cried out.
Faster than I would have thought possible, Dad immediately leapt over the vampires and tackled Jane to the ground. She screamed. Felix made to protect Jane, but Emmett and Rosalie were already there. Sam took this chance to go after Aro. However, Renata exerted her shield energy, confusing him. He staggered sideways and Santiago jumped on top of him. There was a loud crunch and Sam whined, throwing his head back.
Dad! Roaring, Theo jumped on top of Santiago, ripping him away from his father.
Then, there was a ferocious ripping sound, and a high-pitched scream shattered the very atoms in the air.
Caius screamed, "NO!"
But it was too late.
My father was holding Jane's head, ripped off at her neck, in his mouth.
Suddenly, Annabelle leapt out of Carlisle's arms. Unfortunately, Caius saw her coming. He caught Annabelle by the arm and held her furiously in his grip, tight enough that his fingers immediately began to crush into her skin.
Annabelle winced, but with her other hand, she threw something - something that flashed gold in the air- at Rosalie, who caught it. Rosalie grimaced as she looked down at what was in her hand.
"Use it for Jane!" Annabelle shouted at Rosalie.
Nodding, Rosalie managed to throw the object onto Jane's body. It instantly burst into flames.
The vampires who had been standing near Jane, screamed in fright and darted away to avoid the sudden outburst of fire.
My father tossed her head into the flames, and in those brilliant, dancing, blood-orange-and-crimson flames, Jane died.
Dad, get away from there! I shouted.
I'm fine! He reassured me.
Then, there was a high, pitiful scream. I turned to see Caius holding an arm in each of his hands. Slumped against the wall, Annabelle was gasping for breath, fully hyperventilating. Caius had ripped her arms off.
"No! Annabelle!" Carlisle shouted. I'd never heard such pain and panic in Carlisle's voice. But Carlisle was already caught up in combat with Dimitri and what was more, Carlisle could not use his hands, for they had been burned away. Thus, Carlisle was almost wholly on the defensive, meaning he couldn't push Dimtri aside to get to Annabelle.
Even as Carlisle watched, in that moment, Caius struck Annabelle hard in the face. Her head turned against the marble wall, exposing her neck. Reaching forward, Caius grasped her by the throat cruelly and dragged her up against the wall. With a menacing smile, Caius squeezed his hand and began to crush her neck. Annabelle thrashed out with her legs, but to no avail. Caius was going to snap her head right off any second now.
Just then, Theo saw my thoughts. No, Billie, don't! He's a Volturi leader! You're not ready- !
But I'd already leapt towards Caius. My claws dug into Caius' back and my teeth sunk into the back of his neck.
Caius screamed loudly. He dropped Annabelle, but then, I felt another vampire's arms around me. This vampire was nothing like the weaker guards who had only half-heartedly restrained me. No, this vampire was definitely a ferocious and trained fighter. I couldn't throw him off.
No! I heard Mom cry out. Shauna, move! MOVE! Don't let him get a hold on you!
I twisted and turned, but my assailant's arms began to tighten.
A furious roar rang out. Suddenly, the arms around me disappeared.
I turned around to see that Mom had managed to save me, lunging to get the vampire – Felix - off of me. Dad, too, had sprinted over to us. He was now fighting Caius, locking fangs and teeth with him head-on. When Caius grabbed Dad's front leg, I lunged forward and with a well-placed swipe of my heavy, I snapped Caius' arm in half. Caius screeched and swept out his other arm wildly, forcing Dad and I back.
I hurriedly turned around, searching from Mom. It seemed as though she had just been besides me, but the fighting had separated us. Then, I saw her: Mom was being cornered by Felix, who was the strongest vampire and twice her size. He was also furious that Mom had gotten in the way of his killing me.
Mom, no! Get out of there! He's cornering you.
Shauna, stay away! Mom warned me loudly. He's strong, this vampire. I don't want you to come anywhere near him again.
But Mom, I whimpered. What about you?
Don't worry about me. You just stay out of this, Shauna.
I quickly glanced around to see who could help me take on Felix to protect Mom, but everyone was busy.
Dad was still trying to get the upper-hand on Caius, whose arm was slowly starting to regenerate back. It struck me that I didn't understand why Carlisle's hands hadn't regenerated yet.
Emmett was standing in the middle, taking the brunt of the attacks. We would not have survived more than a minute without him. Rosalie had Emmett's back, keeping him from being harmed by any sneak attacks or blind spots. She was a fierce companion and fighter.
Meanwhile, Carlisle had reached Annabelle. Caius had nearly snapped her neck in half. Holding her in his arms as best as he could, Carlisle leaned down and pressed his mouth to Annabelle's neck. He bit her all over her throat, trying to use his venom and the regenerative properties of his venom to fix the fractures rippling down her neck. Her arms (thankfully) having returned to her shoulders once more, Annabelle reached up and gripped Carlisle's hair and whimpered loudly and in pain as Carlisle tried to quicken her healing process. Her body convulsed in his arms, as Carlisle sought desperately to save her. Standing directly in front of them, Jasper and Alice were sheltering them. It was mostly Jasper who was fighting, simply because Alice had to keep her eye on her visions. She stood close to Carlisle and Annabelle, both as a shield and so that Jasper only had to defend one narrow line of attack.
"Just hold on!" Alice cried aloud. "They're almost here!"
Sam and Theo were fighting against Santiago and Renata, trying their damnedest to reach Aro.
I realized then, that here was no one to help Mom – except me. Making up my mind at once, I started to sprint towards her and Felix. But even as I scrambled to get to her, I knew it was too late.
Managing to get his hands under her belly, Felix lifted Mom and then, he ruthlessly slammed her into the floor.
Mom's pained whimper sounded, and the snapping sound of multiple bones breaking rang out.
NO! I screamed. I leapt onto Felix's back and snapped wildly at the back of his neck, but Felix threw me off, jolting his body back and reaching towards me. His hand slammed into my chest and with a pitiful moan, I fell back, sliding off of him.
Once I was off of him, Felix's attention refocused on finishing off Mom. His massive hands reached for her neck. He slid his arms around her neck and then he squeezed as hard as he could. Mom's breath gave out as he choked her.
MOM! I screamed, horrified. Heart pounding in my chest, I sobbed out, NO, MOM!
Leah! Dad jumped away from Caius and followed after me.
Sam and Theo also leapt away from Renata and Santiago and instead, they raced towards us, prioritizing Mom over reaching Aro.
Seeing all of the wolves coming after him, Felix jumped away.
Mom tried to get up, but whimpering feebly, she slumped down again, her shoulder blades caving in on her back, under her silver-white fur as she fell back onto the floor.
Mom! I kneeled next to her and pressed my snout gently into her side. Mom, come on, answer me! Please, please, please...
Leah, love… God, oh God, are you all right? Please tell me you can hear me, Dad begged. He dropped down besides me and whining loudly, he pressed his snout against Mom's face, but she wasn't moving.
Sam and Theo guarded us, although Sam's sharp eyes noticed that Caius, Aro, and Marcus had regrouped behind the broken throne chairs. He watched him warily for a moment, but then - he blinked. He felt Mom's consciousness shudder, as we all did.
Leah... Sam breathed out.
At that moment, Mom's presence faded away in our collective werewolf link.
A second later, it was not a wolf that was lying on the cold stone floor, but a human – a tough, incredible woman, but… not an unbeatable one.
I didn't even think about it. I transformed back to my human self on the spot.
"Mom… Mom, please respond. Please!" I gathered her up in my arms. Mears streaked down my face and dripped onto her cheeks, staining my mother's cheeks with glistening water droplets, but Mom didn't wake.
Dad had enough sense to remain in his wolf form, but he threw back his head and let out a long, crying howl.
I shut my eyes tightly as I prayed. Mom. Please don't leave me. Please. I can't live without you, I whispered brokenly to her. Your sternness, your forgiveness, your wit, your smiles, your loyalty, and your leadership…
Mom… I thought, I even look like you. I never knew until today. But my wolf form isn't Dad's. It's yours. I've inherited your white-silver fur, and your lighter form. It's why I'm the fastest in the pack. It's because you were, too. I know it. I knew it the moment I saw you today, for the first time... Mom, please, I don't know who I can be without you…
I was crying thickly, but Mom still hadn't responded. The warmth of her body was fading away in my very hands...
Willow.
I gasped. That voice… Grandpa?
Her heartbeat is still there. It's faint, but there.
How do I save her? I wondered fervently. How?
Take her to the willow tree.
I can't! I protested, though I was desperate. I don't know how to go there! When I found that willow in my thoughts, it just happened to me because Theo was marking me. It wasn't in my control. It's not someplace I just access whenever I want to. I don't have that knowledge yet! And the Elders never taught me anything. It was Gabe. It was always supposed to be Gabe. Not me.
What Gabe was taught, all of our tribe leaders were taught. What you know is different. It surpasses mere leadership. It transcends our current tribe's knowledge. Therefore, you, and you alone, must learn your own strength, Willow.
I can't do it. I've never been good enough.
You will have to find the path. Otherwise, your mother will die.
Grandpa, please!
Oh, Willow, Grandpa's voice turned ever so gentle, even slightly exasperated and resigned. Don't call for me in such a way. Don't you understand? It's not me who's the Spirit-Warrior. It's you, my child. Trust yourself. Even this voice that you think is me… Don't you see? It's you. It's always been you.
His voice faded away. Or rather, my voice faded away inside my own head.
I took a deep, shuddering breath.
I must have looked insane, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes in my human form in the midst of the most intense battle that Volterra had ever seen.
But sometimes, that's what trust in yourself looks like. Looking in the other direction. Looking at where we're from to understand where we're going, even when all of the circumstances are demanding for you to lose yourself in a panicked future.
I knew now what I had to do - resist. Instead of falling into a panic, I had to understand and decide things on my own terms, not to ignore or be ignorant of the present, but simply to understand and light the way forward for all those who followed. This, I realized now, was my brand of leadership.
I was standing on a cliff.
"Sweetheart."
I turned.
"Mom?" I whispered. Disbelief and relief merged inside of my heart in cresting waves.
"Yes. I heard you. I was going towards the cliff. Then, I heard you call my name." My mother took my face in her hands. "Why did you call me, my daughter?"
"Mom," I said. My eyes were filled with tears, but my voice was steady. "You phased for me. I'll phase for you."
Mom looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"
"Come with me." I took her hand.
Somehow, I knew where to go. It was simple. Just follow the wind.
I led her down a path that was clear as day in my mind. As we walked forward, white flowers sprouted up from the ground on either side, marking a pathway for any who chose to come after me.
Finally, we came to the willow tree, its long branches swaying gently in an otherworldly breeze.
"Oh, it's the tree your grandfather named you after," Mom whispered, looking up at the willow. "How beautiful."
"Come under the shade, Mom," I said, smiling at her.
Mom, seeing my expression, smiled back at me. But then, she paused.
"What is it?" I asked her.
"I just… I don't know if I'm supposed to follow you, sweetheart," Mom told me softly. "This is your place, isn't it? I think I'm supposed to… go on."
I wanted to use every measure at my disposal to persuade her otherwise. I wanted to shout at her and tug at her arm and pull her forward. But I couldn't. This wasn't the kind of place where you could do such a thing.
Instead, with my heart thudding slowly but fiercely in my chest, I said slowly, "Mom. I know you're tired, really tired. I can't make the choice for you. Only you have that right. But I… I hope you'll follow me. I want to show the world that I can make – my world. I want it to be yours, too, and Dad's, and Gabe's, and Theo's…"
Mom studied me. Then, she laughed lightly. "Oh, Shauna," she said, "you're crying. What's there to cry about?"
She sighed. "All right. I'll come with you. Show me your world, my daughter. Show me what's under the shade of this willow tree."
I reached for her again. She held onto my fingertips, and I brought her under the shade of the willow tree.
Even though there had been no evident breeze outside of the willow tree, under the willow's branches, the wind was intense. It was wind from another world. The strong, nearly cyclonic winds, whipped against my mom's entire body. It pushed against her chest, willing her heart to beat conspicuously, to beat back to life.
"Shauna?" Mom called. "What's going on?" The wind shoved against her again, pushing hard at her heart, restarting it. She gripped at her chest. Then, she coughed as she called out, "Shauna!"
But I was gone. I was free – free in the winds that had called to me throughout my whole life. Yes, I was a spirit – a true spirit-warrior.
Jacob Black's POV
I could not believe my eyes. Leah, who I was certain had died not a moment ago, was slowly opening her eyes. The first word out of her mouth was, "Shauna?"
Shauna. My daughter. My daughter, who had been holding Leah not two seconds ago, had disappeared – completely. She was not in her wolf form. She was not in any form. She was just… gone.
Suddenly, a powerful wind blew through the entire chamber.
"What the -?" I heard people shouting in confusion.
At that moment, however, the Chamber doors, which had been pushed open by the wind, revealed newcomers: Edward and Bella Cullen, Alistair, and a female vampire - Sabine, the key witness.
a/n:
to MDBEU: Thank you very much for your kind comment! I'm really glad to hear that you liked my story enough to read it all in one go. Also, your reaction to Shauna bursting into the Volturi's chambers definitely made me smile. :)
to Guest "Nice story": "if she wasn't horny for Carlisle" - hahaha! I get your point, aha, and I think that a huge part (if not the essential point) of Annabelle's development is her sorting out how to have healthy relationships. I think I feel more sympathetic towards her when I remember that she was an orphan, and an orphan who was never picked by anyone (for family or for even a dating relationship, though a lot of that has to do her own boundary-setting), and then to have this one person that she already admired then also be the person to give her as much of a life and a home as she's ever had, has got to be so emotionally and psychologically overwhelming for her. I feel like most people get their personal affirmations of their dreams and their values over time and from many different people, but for Annabelle, it was only and always Carlisle. But I think Annabelle is implicitly aware of her unhealthy attachment to him, which is why she struggles so much around Carlisle and his family. Frankly, it's why she is scared of her own feelings. She knows some of her feelings are idealizations of Carlisle - and the key is that she doesn't want that, either. She's pretty sure that she would love him anyways, even without romanticizing him to such an insane degree, but she can't just suddenly strip all that away. So, I imagine it's natural for her/doesn't make her a bad person for feeling that way. Even people who grow up in perfectly healthy families and have loving realizations fall into idolizing and idealizing people they love. But yes, going forward, this is definitely something for her to sort out as she finds her footing in her new life! From your take on Annabelle and from your liking Shauna, I would guess that you are a very independent, bold, and wonderfully self-grounded person! (I obviously made Annabelle and Shauna very different characters on purpose, aha. They have vastly different personalities, motivations, and struggles.) I hope that you continue to like Shauna's story, and I am interested to see how you feel about Annabelle as the story continues. Thank you so much for your comment!