A/N: Here is Chapter 2, I'm hoping Chapter 1 went down a treat - unfortunately the review glitch is preventing me from seeing the reviews that have been made.
Hopefully you enjoy Chapter 2, Chapter 3 will be out by the beginning of next week/if not mid-week.
Chapter Songs:
Lord Huron - The Night We Met (SLOWED & REVERB) \\ MEETING BELLA BRIEFLY
Placebo - Running Up That Hill \\ STUDY
AIELLO - VIENIMI (a ballare) \\ EDWARDS CONVERSATION WITH BELLA
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Chapter 2
I would have considered the ceremony beautiful, had it not involved my mate marrying another vampire. I also would have believed they were quite the entrancing couple, had I not known that Edward had been lying to both Isabella and his family.
During the time they had swapped vows, confirmed their 'I do's' and ended the ceremony with the traditional kiss, I had envisioned several different scenarios taking place.
The first involved me snatching Isabella up, taking her to our car, and driving at an illegal speed to a destination I had yet to decide upon. The second had me ripping Edward's head off of his shoulders if he attempted to kiss my mate again. I would pack him up and ship him back to Italy myself. I'm sure Aro would appreciate a mind reader amongst his ranks.
The final scenario involved me introducing myself to Isabella, as her true mate. Now that one I actually considered. Though it earned a quick glance from Alice's onyx eyes as she'd evidently seen what I had planned. That would very much turn this occasion upside down. However, I somewhat enjoyed the idea of ruining this day, as it shouldn't have taken place had Edward, and seemingly Alice also, not hidden that he was not her mate.
As the guests began to disperse across the garden, I noticed Edward leading Isabella towards groups, thanking them for their appearances. She looked highly unenthusiastic whilst doing so.
"Katrina," Tanya leaned into me slightly with a grin, "should we spice this up a little? I'm sure she would love to meet you."
I nodded in response, following my sister as she walked towards the newlyweds. Alice was standing nearby, Jasper's arm around her waist holding her in place. Rosalie and Emmett were also nearby, yet Rosalie looked somewhat amused, and Emmett a little lost. Irina appeared on the other side of me, linking her arm with mine. It would appear to the humans as a simple touch, with nothing behind it. But I knew she was preparing to hold me in place, should Edward cause me to react in a manner that would threaten our human facade. A visit from the Volturi would be awfully inconvenient.
As the group of teenagers that were standing in front finished their brief conversation with the couple and moved aside, my eyes finally locked with Isabella's. I was unsure if she was aware that she was holding her breath; I smirked as her mouth dropped open a little and her heart rate quickened once more. Had my heart been warm and pumping blood also, it would have accelerated to a similar speed.
"Krásny." I muttered under my breath. (Beautiful)
I chose this moment to quickly glance at Edward as he stood with a possessive arm around Isabella's waist. His death glare was almost comical, the venom almost leaking from his mouth was more comical.
"Isabella, I'm Kate Denali. These are my sisters Tanya and Irina. Behind me are our coven mates Eleazar and his mate Carmen." She instinctively stuck her hand out to greet me via a handshake, but I decided to have a little fun in front of Edward and the rest of the Cullens.
I took her hand, raising it to my lips and planting a gentle peck on her warm inviting skin. I savoured the feeling of the rushing blood beneath my lips, drinking in her sweet scent. I let my eyes look up at the brunette, humming at the blush that was spreading across her cheekbones and down her neck. I was intrigued as to where else the blush had spread.
"Veľkolepý." I sighed, my breath causing noticeable goosebumps on her wrist and up her forearm. (Magnificent)
"Enough Kate." Edward snarled, much to Isabella's surprise. "Her name is Bella, she has a distaste for Isabella."
I watched as Isabella cast Edward a look of annoyance, shifting her weight and moving out of Edward's hold.
That move intrigued me; was she feeling our bond already? And had it caused her to want to put a little distance between them, in front of me? I wanted to ask a thousand questions, I wanted to pull her aside, feel that warm hand in my own and take her from her own wedding. I could do neither. The monster in the back of my head snarled at my patheticness, and laughed at how weak I would have looked in the eyes of Sasha. She would have beheaded Edward on the spot and snatched Isabella for herself, had she been her mate. She wouldn't have thought twice about the scene she would cause, or the human bodies she would have to massacre in response. I felt Irina likely would have considered similar actions, Tanya, perhaps a little more reserved and polite.
Isabella chugged her final mouthful of champagne, and passed the empty glass to Edward, her eyes returning to mine with a tipsy glaze across them.
"It was nice to meet you, Kate. I-I'll see you again tonight at some point?" I nodded a little too enthusiastically whilst grinning, earning myself another little increase in her heart rate, and a further blush. "It was nice to meet you all. I need to say hello to my Mom."
Edward held his tongue until his now-wife was far enough away to not overhear our conversation. He was joined by a serious looking Carlisle, and a pained Jasper.
"Perhaps we should move this conversation to my study? It's best none of the guests hear this topic." Tanya agreed on my behalf, my eyes still firmly stuck on Isabella who was now hugging a woman who looked similar enough to be her mother. I couldn't help but already replay our brief encounter over in my head, relishing in the potential pain it would be causing Edward.
We followed the Cullens, into the house and upto the large study. It was quite the awe-inspiring room, filled with rammed bookcases along two walls, and glass encasing the remaining two, providing an almost panoramic view of the surrounding forest and the ongoing party below. Carlisle's desk was grand, perhaps real stained oak. Two picture frames sat in one corner of the desk, and a stationary organiser sat in the other. It was all rather, human.
Carlisle took a seat in the giant leather chair that sat behind the desk, crossing a leg over the other. Esme joined him, taking a seat on the arm of the chair, placing a hand on his thigh, a standard claiming action. Rosalie and Emmett leaned against the far window, Emmett more interested in whatever game was on his phone. Alice and Jasper leaned against the same window, Jasper holding Alice close to his side and whispering reassurances into her ear, whilst she eyed Edward who stood awkwardly in the centre of the room.
Eleazar closed the door behind us, taking his place beside Carmen and nodding towards Carlisle. It all seemed very formal, very unusual for when our covens gathered. Our reunions usually involved large hunting trips and alcohol, something I had hoped to enjoy alongside Rosalie and Emmett this evening.
"Alice, perhaps you should start with whatever vision you had earlier." Carlisle instructed, reclining further in his seat, his hand now covering Esme's.
"I saw Kate coming to the wedding and ruining it with accusations regarding Bella." Snarling in response, I tried to jump in the direction of the tiny vampire, but was instantly restrained by the arms of Tanya and Irina. I had lost my cool rather quickly. "She should not be here. I warned her to be careful, but her gesture outside was anything but careful, Carlisle."
"I agree with Alice. What do you think Bella is thinking?" Edward hissed, pinching the bridge of his nose, frustration evident in his voice, and his shoulders beginning to shake a little.
"What's she thinking?!" I spat, shrugging off both sisters' arms and rolling my shoulders, prepared for any altercation. "She's probably questioning her relationship, questioning why she's finding another vampire attractive, why she's drawn to me more than she's ever been drawn to anyone else in her existence! She's probably wanting to be around me. Right. Now."
Edward's head snapped in my direction, teeth barred and eyes just as black as earlier. I raised my hand, showing him a shock that was prepared should he try anything.
"Kate, what do you mean?" Esme questioned, sitting forwards a little more out of curiosity, her concern obvious.
"Esme, she is my mate. Your dear Edward has been lying to each of you, and to Isabella." Several gasps echoed around the study, Esme's more prominent than the others. "Isabella is his singer, nothing more."
"Her name is Bella!" Edward roared, attempting to lunge at my throat before Emmett crashed into his side, knocking them both into the nearby bookshelf. Splintered wood and books fell around them as Edward tried to scramble out of Emmmett's hold. Emmett pinned him down with an arm across his throat, body weight on top of his waist and legs.
"Edward, is this true?" Esme's disappointment dripping from every word. I sympathised with the innocent woman, she'd obviously created a bond with the human. A bond that was sure to be torn apart once the truth was explained to Isabella. She would feel lied to, and likely reluctant to be near Cullen's for some time.
"She's mine!" He gasped out angrily under Emmett's particularly large arm, before choosing to relent to Emmett's strength. "You have no claim to her, Kate. She loves me!"
Tanya sighed, clearly having enough, and turned to the bronze haired vampire.
"You have hidden someone's mate Edward, do you not understand the severity of your actions? That girl is your singer. You do not love her, you love and desire her blood!" Tanya's steely voice would have straightened the backs of the toughest of vampires. "You have convinced this girl that she's your mate, compelled her into loving you, and managed to take her hand in marriage. Do you not see what you have done? The mess you have made?"
"I told you from the start Edward, she wasn't for you." Rosalie commented, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.
Rosalie and I had bonded from the moment we first met. Our opinions on mortality differed, I had tried to improve Rosalie's outlook on each of her previous visits to Alaska. However, each time she returned to Forks, that outlook would lose all progress. The mundane repetitive attendance at High School wasn't a lifestyle most would choose to experience on repeat. Carlisle had considered it a necessity to maintain their background story to the communities they infiltrated, since he took jobs at Hospitals.
Carlisle leaned forwards in his seat, his hands spread across the desk as he looked deep in thought.
"Edward, you insisted she was your mate."
"She has to be Carlisle." He argued, still very much restrained by Emmett who was beginning to look annoyed with the exchange.
"Were it true, another of our kind wouldn't be claiming your mate as theirs." Agreements sounded throughout the room, Alice remaining silent and chose to look out of the window. "Jasper, you have felt love from Edward towards Bella?"
Jasper sighed and glanced at his mate before speaking, "I did; however, I have always commented on how it did not feel like Bella's love for Edward. I could not compare it to the love you feel for Esme, or Emmett for Rosalie. I did not doubt they were mates as he said they were. Though his feelings would intensify if Bella's scent or blood were discussed." He cleared his throat before continuing. "He is feeling nothing but guilt and sorrow, currently."
I snarled in the bronze hair vampires direction. He craved my mate's blood; he'd allowed this fake relationship to progress to the point of marriage, knowing he was not Isabella's mate. Had he met his mate at any moment, he would have left her at the drop of a hat. She deserved to know every lie he'd told. Already, I dreaded her reaction to being kept in the dark about this matter. I cringed internally knowing I would have to watch her suffer with the pain he was sure to cause.
Carlisle flashed across the room, standing above Edward, his hands clasped behind his back. "Edward, you have one opportunity to clear the air. She is, without question, not your mate and I feel Kate deserves an explanation."
Edward dropped his head against the floor, sighing heavily and turning to look in my direction.
"Her blood, it's something I will never encounter again. Whilst I learnt to.. live with the torment it brought, I fell for her." He had the audacity to look sad, with the slightest regret.
"He's telling the truth, though I feel he is more in love with her blood and what it makes him feel, than Bella herself." Jasper provided, looking a little more in pain than usual.
I was increasingly losing my mind as the conversation progressed. I was torn between running at a speed halfway between unnatural and human, just to see her again. I wanted to hold her hand again, perhaps take the time to admire that blush for a little longer.
Jasper's head tilted slightly as he watched me closely, my eyes narrowing right back at him.
"I have no doubt in my mind, from what I have just felt, that Kate is Bella's mate." My smirk couldn't help but make an appearance at his words.
Carlisle nodded and motioned for Emmett to get off Edward, turning to Tanya and I with a remorseful expression. Tanya responded with a pointed look and a glance in my direction.
"I have no interest in an apology, nor do I wish to kiss and make up. I want to speak with my mate and try to clean up the mess your son has created."
"Sister, perhaps Edward's involvement is necessary at this stage." Tanya suggested. She was likely right; I couldn't jump straight into conversations with her about how we were meant to be, how her husband was a manipulative liar and she shouldn't have ever married him. Though each of those conversations would soothe my anxiety and have this matter resolved, it would likely deteriorate Isabella's mental health.
I snarled and crouched beside Edward, wrapping my hand around his throat, sending a low shock through his body to ensure he was paying full attention. He hissed in response, body stiffening and eyes locked on my own.
"You will talk to her. Do and say what you have to, but if you say one thing I consider a threat to her, or our bond, I will rip you apart quicker than a human blink. When you have finished talking to her, tell her to come and see me." I released his throat reluctantly, feeling the burn at the back of my throat increase a little more due to the pure fury coursing through me.
"Perhaps we should take a quick trip to hunt whilst the party continues a little, and Edward fulfills his part of the night?" I nodded at Tanya's suggestion. "Rose, Emmett, will you join us?"
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I felt a little satiated, my stomach sloshing around from two bucks and a lone squirrel, the latter consumed to amuse Emmett.
Upon returning, the wedding reception had kicked up a notch with music blaring throughout the property and humans jumping around, dripping with sweat. Isabella had been laughing with friends, still looking as radiant as she had whilst walking down the aisle.
I had taken up a position against the doorway of the back of the house, studying her as I gripped a glass of Emmett's latest whisky purchase. He had insisted I try it, even just a sip. Forty sips later, I was considering taking the bottle back to Alaska.
Edward approached Isabella slowly, watching for a moment that she would be less occupied, his hesitant steps angering me further.
"Speed it up Edward." I hissed, knowing full well he would be able to hear me across the garden. He nodded slightly in response, choosing to grab her arm just as she finished her conversation with one of her friends.
"Love, can we talk?" He asked gently, motioning for her to follow him to a quieter area of the garden, smiling at a few guests as they passed by. I gave him a pass for the use of the word love, he had to keep some sort of facade in front of her friends. Though it didn't mean I liked him referring to her as such.
Looking anxious, her bottom lip found its way back between her teeth. Her eyes scanned the garden, clearly looking for something, or someone. I begged internally for her to move her eyes to my chosen resting spot, pleading for her to give me some glimmer of hope that it was me that she was searching for. But her eyes did not find me, Edward had become insistent that she follow him quicker.
"What's going on, Edward?" She quizzed, her eyebrows furrowing as he urged her to sit on one of the chairs that were scattered across the garden. He took up a seat beside her, initially sitting stiffly, followed by remembering his surroundings and the need to look human.
"I don't know how to put this into words, I'm still not sure how I'm best explaining this to you." He almost stuttered, something I hadn't seen out of the bronze hair vampire before. "Bella, do you remember my reaction to your blood?"
She nodded hesitantly, eyes narrowing slightly as she watched him considering his next words. She wasn't the only one.
"I believe you have helped my thirst, you being around has helped me build a tolerance. When I first began talking to you in our Biology class, and visiting you at night, it was to help build that tolerance, to show myself I could bare to be around your blood. As my singer, I became entranced by the fact that I had yet to kill you." She shivered and leaned away from him slightly, Edward noticing and sighing. He glanced in my direction and winced, knowing I wouldn't leave them alone with one another.
"I have been attached to you because of your blood. I vowed to myself that I would remain in Forks after visiting Alaska, to improve my ability to resist your blood, human blood. Along the way, I fell for you..."
Spit it out, Cullen. You're tiptoeing around the issue. I thought, beginning to approach the pair whilst preparing a shock.
"Edward, please just say what you're avoiding." Isabella snapped, arms now crossed and her right leg beginning to bounce a little.
You're truly mine. I smirked as she picked up exactly what I had. She was observant for a human, though she had been around Edward long enough to register his avoidance.
"Bella, you're not my mate."