There seemed to be a few questions last chapter, especially in regards to why Bella had to go along with things if she is the queen. Even in our own world, monarchs are only powerful when they have the favor of those who hold lesser power. If a king upsets all of the nobility in his country, they can band together to overthrow the king. If the princes decided that Edward and Bella were not what was best for vampirekind, they could as a council decide to overthrow them, or attack them in hopes of killing them and allowing another prince to take the main role. They are only 1/7th of the ruling council, and Bella and any other princesses aren't making decisions in the council at all. They know a war is likely coming, but if they strike before they're prepared, they put everyone they love in jeopardy.

As for her having to drink from Jacob, it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do, and that will be addressed in future chapters, but refusing was not an option. This is a long-standing tradition that shows she is part of their world and not part of her former world of the Wanderers. And although they know in their hearts this was intentional as Demetri was the one to find Bella and then Jacob, but he can easily say that the Wanderer was following him so he picked him and returned home. These are not the Cullens of Twilight who only hunt animals, all vampires follow their true nature, they will only hunt Wanderers.

I hope this answers most of the questions, on with the chapter, live from somewhere just outside Grand Teton National Park.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Trigger warning for this chapter as it deals with sexual assault. Nothing is explicitly described but Alice's attack is discussed. This chapter is as lengthy as the topic will be broached. If you want to know what happens without reading so you can avoid it, PM me and I will give you the details of the chapter minus Alice.

Chapter 12

We left the capitol building together, the cacophony of thoughts slamming into me was hard to deal with. My family was usually better at containing the tenor of their thoughts so they became white noise around me, but with the day's events there was no control.

"Gather the family and bring them to the residence. We need to plan," I said to Emmett.

Once we were all inside the walls of the royal residence, Bella took Alice away and no one moved to follow her. Eleazar and Carmen arrived with Laurent and Irina, bringing a new tension to the proceedings.

Irina folded Jasper into a hug and a bit of that anxiety faded.

"What will we do now?" My father turned to me.

"If any of you plan to return home, do so now, and take guards with you. Alec and Felix orchestrated Bella's first kill to be someone she was close to in her old life. And we'll never know if they encouraged James into doing what he did. But it is clear they are not happy to see a Cullen as their king. Laurent, is Victoria somewhere safe?"

"She's living with her mate and their daughter in our lands. She's far enough from here that she should be, but I will go with my wife and make sure they're well. The future of our line is with her now," Laurent said.

"Go in peace, my friend," my father said.

"I don't know what crime my son committed, but we ask forgiveness for not seeing the threat he was to your sweet Alice," Irina pleaded.

"We do not blame you for it. Thank you for not seeking vengeance against Jasper," my mother said, her fingers laced through Carmen's.

Once Laurent and Irina had left, Marcus made his arrangements to return to the Pacific Northwest. Garrett wanted to go with him, but my mother urged him against it.

My grandparents chose to stay close, but were leaving Volterra for Rome.

Bella entered and all eyes turned to her. "Esme, go to her."

As my mother slipped out of the room all eyes fell on Bella.

"How is she, Majesty?" Jasper asked.

"It's Bella, Jasper, and she's struggling. She'll seek you out soon, but she needs to sort a few things first."

"There are enough rooms in this residence to give us all space," I told my family. "We will figure out exactly what this plot entails and keep our family safe. We will meet again in the morning."

The room emptied and I opened my arms to Bella. "Do I want to know?"

"No, but you need to know the basics. James had left some berries around that a Wanderer found and ate. When Alice drank from him, the effects of the berries altered her mind and her perception. That was how he was able to attack her."

"When you say attack…?"

"He believed they were meant to be mates, he was trying to claim her from Jasper."

I knew what that meant. If Jasper hadn't ripped his head off, I would have gladly done it.

"When you held her, she said something…"

"Apparently we've discovered the reason you cannot read my mind. I'm a shield. I used my talent to help her block some of the more unpleasant flashes from her attack and allowed her to focus on what was most important."

I was floored. My mate was a shield. Her focus and poise only hours after waking were extraordinary enough, but the fact that she was already able to manipulate her talent … she was a wonder.

"Edward?" Bella asked.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Your sister didn't conceive that monster's child. She also had a clear enough vision to ease her mind. Now Jasper just needs to help her through this."

"And he will. But right now I would like to focus on my amazing mate. You were meant for this life it seems."

"Alice said the same," Bella admitted. "I feel guilty though."

"Why?" I asked, stroking her cheek.

"Even after the horror your sister endured, all I can think of is how much I want you."

"I want you too, and no one would begrudge us the completion of our mating. It is time my father perform the ceremony and then I will show you our rooms."