Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended. Story is non-cannon and rated for mature audiences only.
A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and alerts! I really do appreciate it! I apologize for not responding to each review… life has been crazy and I've just been focusing on getting this chapter posted. I hope you enjoy!
~Seraphyna~
Chapter 5-Peter-
It was wonderful to see her relax and feel loved. She was settling in well in our family, but still had times when she'd doubt our love for her. The damned Cullen's fucked with her pretty little head more than I could have imagined. "I'm glad you like it Angel." I had added her name to the Whitlock family crest knowing full well Jasper would be pissed I made the decision without consulting him. In truth, he was the Alpha of our coven, but he hadn't come around in years. As far as I was concerned, the decision to add Angel to our crest fell solely upon Char and myself. Fuck him if he was pissed, I already owed him one ass kicking, what's one more?
"I love it Peter. Thank you. It's more than I deserve…" She spoke so softly that had we not been vampires, we'd have missed it. "You listen here sugar." Char stood directly in front of her, forcing Angel to look in her eyes. "Don't you believe a word that asshole said to you. You deserve all the love in the world. You've been through shit at the hands of our brother's coven. It's not your fault they were all too fucked up to realize what a treasure they found in you."
My mate was the most amazing woman, human or vampire that I had ever met. She was a bit rough around the edges and could put up one hell of a fight, but she loved her family with every bit of her soul. Angel had become the sister Char needed years ago and there was no way my mate would put up with her feeling inferior. She hugged our little Angel close and kissed her on the cheek. "Now I believe Petey over here had some other things to discuss with ya sugar."
Petey? The look on my face must have been pretty good because it threw both of them into a fit of laughter. "Petey? Really Char?" I shook my head. "Anyway, she's right. I did have a few things to talk to you about before we head out on our hunt tonight." She sat back in her 'comfy' chair. "Now you know we love you Angel. You've given us so much in such a short amount of time. We are a much happier, more complete family than we were before we found you." She had tears streaming down her face again and I couldn't help but reach over and brush them away. "When we talked about changing you before, you said only if it was a must. You also wanted a 'suicide' option. Now that things have calmed down and you've had a chance to see just how much we love you, has that changed? We just need to know what you wishes are in case something does happen to you Angel. You're still human and accidents happen. We need to be sure we do what you want if something happened and you weren't able to decide at that point."
The tears were still streaming down her face. Her heart was racing and she seemed to be studying the hardwood floors very carefully. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. All I could hear were her breaths. A whole ten minutes passed before she spoke again. "I love you both so much. I can't even express it. I kinda wish Jasper was here so he could show you." She gave us both a watery smile. "You've only known me for such a short amount of time and yet you've given me so much more than they ever did. You've accepted me for me. You haven't tried to coddle me. You've welcomed me into your home, your family without hesitation. But most of all, you've given my opinion weight. You've taken into consideration what I really want. They never did. It was always what he wanted. I was his girlfriend so everything I did or wanted had to pass through him first. I can't put into words how grateful I am that you love me enough to care about my wants." She got quiet again for a few minutes. "I keep thinking to myself what I would want if our roles were reversed. If you two were hurt and I had the power to save you, what would I want. I know without a doubt that I'd do anything for both of you, for my family. If that meant changing you into an immortal being, then so be it." She looked directly at me, her deep chocolate eyes boring into my crimson orbs. "So if something were to happen to me, you have my permission to change me. But remember, if you do that you're stuck with me for eternity." She laughed half heartedly.
"No suicide option Bella?" Char asked quietly.
Angel shook her head. "No suicide option. That request was entirely selfish of me. I should never have asked you for it. I love you both too much to force that on you. Just, if you ever get tired of me, get bored… please just be honest with me. I won't burden you with my presence if I'm not wanted." The girl was so unsure of herself but I could tell she was making progress. Simply put, it would take time but our little Angel would heal. I hated that the veggie vamps fucked her up so badly, but she'd come out on top and maybe just maybe a little tougher.
-Char-
Our new sister was getting better. I knew it would take time and a ton of reassurance, but eventually she'd recover from the damage they caused. Our family was growing and I couldn't be happier. Well, that's not entirely true. I wanted our brother back. Of course, I wanted to kick his sorry ass first, but I loved our Major. He had given Peter and I so much by just letting us go all those years back. I missed who he was before the pixie bitch took control.
"I'm glad to hear that sugar. And don't you worry your pretty little head, we will always want you with us." I smiled at her and pulled her into my arms for a hug. "Now that that's settled, we need to talk about one more thing." She plopped back into hear chair, readying herself for the next part of our conversation.
I looked toward Peter for confirmation he wanted me to continue. He nodded. "Now that you're part of this family, it comes with certain benefits like Peter said earlier." She didn't say anything so I continued. "I won't get into all of them now, but there are two things in particular I want to discuss. First, now that you're a Whitlock, you have full access to our family bank account." I could see her open her mouth to argue, but continued speaking before she had a chance. "I don't wanna hear it sugar. You're part of our family now and we take care of our own. This includes money. Outside of access to the family funding, we've also set up an account in your name only. Peter and I have moved one million dollars from our personal account into yours. Again, I don't wanna hear it Bella. You're our sister and we want you to be able to do anything, buy anything you'd like without feeling bad."
She was quiet for a moment. "As much as I'd like to argue, I really can't. Like you said, we're family and this is just how family works. All I can do is say thank you yet again." I was relieved that she didn't put up much of a fight. From what we'd learned over the past several days, Bella never liked someone taking care of her. She was very independent. "I'm glad to hear it. That brings me to my next item." I paused taking a deep breath to prepare myself for what came next. "Jasper…"
I watched her closely. Her face paled just slightly but she looked like she was holding up fairly well. "I know you've forgiven him for trying to attack you, but we have a bit of a bone to pick with him ourselves. You see, family or not, he's hurt another member of the family. We can't just let that go hun."
"What do you propose Char? You what… wanna track him down and kick his ass?" She sounded distant, almost detached from the situation. "No, nothing like that sugar. I'm not suggesting we go looking for him, but I wanted you to be aware that when he does show back up in our lives, he'll be punished. I also need to know if you'd like us to say anything to him if he by some turn of fate calls us."
"No. If he shows up he can know, but if he calls, don't say anything. I don't want the rest of them to know where I am. Hell all I need is stalker-vamp to show up at my door and remind me just how worthless I am." She snorted through her laugh at the end. I was glad to see she could joke about the perverted fucking vampire. I knew it still hurt, but once in awhile she could let it go and actually laugh about the whole situation.
"Alright, we won't say a word Angel." Peter interjected at this point. Truly, neither of us wanted to tell Jasper she was here. We wanted to keep her from those fucked up vamps for as long as we could. The only reason we brought it up was because he received a tidbit of information from his gift. Evidently our dear brother would be calling soon. "And Bella…" He stated seriously. "If that fucked up excuse of a vampire ever tries to stalk you or hurt you again, I'll be sending him back to his family in an urn."
One Month Later…
-Jasper-
I was somewhere in the middle of Wyoming when I decided I needed to talk with Peter. The thoughts bouncing around in my head were getting too much for me to handle on my own. Maybe if we call him he'll let us visit. My inner voice and I had been arguing for an hour. Sure, he'll just welcome you with open arms since you've been such a great brother to him these past 60 years. And so the argument went round and round. Just pick up the phone and call you pussy.
It took another ten minutes for me to get my nerve. I was not a coward by any means, but I felt terribly guilty about ignoring my brother and sister for so long. Not to mention the last conversation we shared. The phone rang three times before he answered. "Jasper." He practically spat. Well yeah what did you expect there Jas? "Peter…" The line was quiet for forty seven seconds. "So did ya call just to breathe heavy in my ear or what?"
"Fuck Peter, give me a minute. I feel like my head is spinning and I can't think fucking straight." I understood his anger to a point, but he needed to cut me a little slack. "Sorry Jazzy, but I've got shit going on over here… so if you don't mind, get to the fucking point." Ok, I deserved that. "About that… I'm sorry Peter. I really didn't mean to be a total asshole last time we talked."
"Well we didn't really talk now did we Jazzy? Was more or less you told me to fuck off. But whatever. What do you need?" This was going to be tougher than I thought. "Who ya talking to Petey? We need to head out if we're going to get there before dark." I heard a distinctly female voice in the background. A female that was not Char. "Just my long lost veggie vamp pixie whipped brother Angel. No worries. You and Char should head on out without me." I could hear shuffling and what sounded like a kiss before he returned his attention to me. "Alright, well I guess I have more time now. What has your head all fucked up Jaz?"
"She lied to me." What else could I do but to start at the beginning? "Who lied Jazzy?" He was just downright patronizing at this point. "Quit calling me that Captain!" I was sick of his condescending tone and what more did he want? I fucking apologized. I couldn't do much more than that. "Well that's more like it. You're sounding more like yourself now. So the bitch finally came clean?"
He and Char had been telling me for years that Alice wasn't being entirely honest with me. "I should have believed you two years ago. She didn't 'come clean' I forced her. Listen, this would be easier in person. Where are you two, I'll come visit you." He mumbled something to himself and hesitated just a little too long for my liking. My own brother didn't want to see me. "Of course if you don't want me to, that's fine Peter. I can head down south for a bit."
"No Jasper, that's not it. It's just, well the thing is that woman you heard earlier… Well she's human." He was harboring a human? Who obviously knew about vampires? Thoughts of Bella and how badly things ended for her flashed through my mind. "Peter, how could you? You know they can't know our secret! If the Volturi ever found her…"
"Calm your emo ass down there Jasper. I'll have you know we didn't break our secret to her. Some fucking careless, heartless pathetic excuse of a coven did. They fucking broke her beyond anything I've ever seen even in a vampire. So you just knock that shit off right now. We are protecting her. We are being responsible, making sure the secret doesn't get beyond her… not that she'd tell anyone. She is family and let me tell you this Jasper Hale … she has been a better sister than you have been a brother lately." He was pissed. The human must have been rather important for him to consider her family. Peter took that word seriously and he had a point, recently I hadn't. I thought I needed the Cullen's to show me a real family. In truth, I had a family all along… and they loved me even when they were pissed off.
"I'm sorry Peter. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Of course you didn't just go and disclose that nugget to anyone. As for being a horrible brother, I can't tell you how sorry I am about that. I don't know what I was thinking. I thought she loved me. I don't know how she deceived me for so long. It was bad. When I found out Major came out to play. I still haven't pieced together what happened while he was out." Everything was still foggy and confusing. I hated missing pieces of my memory. Rather than think about it, I shook my head and focused on the information he had given me. Peter and Char had a human sister. I couldn't fathom what would draw them to a human, their sole food source. Unless… "Peter, you and Char aren't… uhh…" I couldn't even bring myself to ask. "Aren't what Jasper?" He asked with a bit of humor in his voice. He was making fun of me for stumbling over my words. "Well you aren't you know… sleeping with the human are you?" He was quiet for a few second and then spoke in a deathly serious tone. "You know Jasper, what Char and I do in and who we share our bedroom with is entirely our business. Absolutely none of yours. You can't begin to judge our lifestyle when you much on the forest animals." He wouldn't respond to the question. I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted the answer. He seemed to be avoiding giving me a straight answer. I didn't want to fight with my brother. I still had a long way to being forgiven for being an asshole. I exhaled and decided to change the subject. "Listen, I've had a hard time with my control recently. I think maybe it would be best if I took a little time away from your human to regain some control. I wouldn't want to put her in any danger."
He sighed. "You know we love you Jasper and you're welcome any time, but I want you to know that if you ever try to hurt our little Angel, I will end you. She is special and doesn't deserve any more heartache. If you think it's best to take a break, go for it… but may I suggest something without you getting your panties all up in a bunch?" He was sounding more like the brother I had known and loved all these years. "What's that Pete?" It was quiet a moment or two longer. "Humans. You should hunt humans. I think your control issues come from the fucked up diet you've been on for the past 60 years. Human blood sustains us so much better and curbs the urges. Think about it. You were stronger when you fed from humans. Hell I know emotionally you had problems, but I think you can figure out a way around that now that you aren't in the midst of a war."
He had a point. Not only was I stronger physically, but my self-control was impeccable. Not a vampire around had the control I had when I was well fed. Could I really go back to feeding on humans? "I don't know Peter. I hear what you're saying, but I've spent time with humans. I don't know that I can take the life of someone's sister, daughter, brother…"
"You could feed like we do Jasper. I know you think we're vigilantes, but what if we weren't in that dark alley last night? What if I hadn't fed on that man who had a poor innocent girl pinned against the wall? Would he have stopped with just minor assault on her? Fuck no. I could see the fear in hear deep brown eyes Jasper. She was scared and I was the only one who could help her. Think about all the others we've saved over the years. What Char and I do benefits the human race more than anything your diet does." The image he painted made me sick. All I could think of was Bella and the Port Angeles incident. Carlisle had updated me on what happened that night. If Edward had not been stalking her that night… it could have been her in that dark alley. The thought alone made me sick. I could feel Major roaring, rattling the cage to escape. He was infuriated. Peter was right. As vampires we were gifted with higher senses, more strength and speed. We were predators. We could do serious good in this world if we wanted.
"You're absolutely right Peter. If you hadn't saved her, she'd have been raped or killed or raped and killed. I'll consider it. When I no longer feel like I could be a danger to your Angel … I'll give you a call." I was grateful for Peter. He always had a way of putting things into perspective for me. It saddened me that I had let our relationship deteriorate. "You know I love you brother. I know you may not believe it, but I think you leaving the Cullen's may be the best thing you've done in a long time. This'll give you a chance to find yourself again. Discover who you are without Maria, without the pixie bitch. You need to learn to stand on your own two feet Jasper. When you do, you know how to find us."
"Thanks Pete." In those two words I meant so much. Thank you. You're the best brother I've ever known. You've always been there for me. I love you. But we were men, and fuck if I was going to tell him all that out loud. "Anytime Jasper … anytime. Come home soon." With that, the line went dead.
How my life had changed. It was less than a year ago that I was happy with Alice, with the Cullen's. Bella and Edward were happy together. Everyone was happy. At least that's what I thought. As an empath, I should have been able to see through Alice. Maybe I missed something else along the way. What other lies did I miss? Were Bella and Edward truly happy? If so how could he have left her? Bella. Thinking about her still hurt. It was a pain I had never before felt. It burned deep in my chest. I felt such great loss when Alice told us she was gone. Her emotions were always so pure. Even if I didn't have the chance to get truly close to her, I had come to love her dearly. Losing her was like losing a piece of myself. I didn't understand it. I didn't feel this loss when I discovered Alice's treachery. Why was I feeling it for my…. Sister? Was she my sister? The word felt all wrong when tying it to Bella. I loved her yes, but differently than I love Charlotte or even Rosie.
It doesn't matter anymore. She's gone. The Major roared from the depths of my soul. He was right. She was gone, but that didn't mean I'd forget her. She would be my strength and motivation when working on my bloodlust. I owed it to her. Had I not lost control, Edward would never have left her. She'd never have felt the need to kill herself. Yes. I would gain control in her name. And once I had control I would return to my brother and sister. I needed to mend our relationship.
-Alice-
"I don't want to be here anymore Edward! Why can't I just come home to you? They all know I lied to Jasper… they're pissed and I'm grounded! Carlisle grounded me!" After Major Whitlock outted me, Carlisle had taken my punishment upon himself. Technically my 'punishment' should have come from Edward since he was my mate, but no one knew that. Instead, I was stuck with Carlisle's choices. He took my credit cards, cars and clothes. I was expected to volunteer at the hospital and local charities. All of my designer clothes were donated to Good Will and I was limited to seven outfits chosen by Rosalie. "Quit whining Ali. You know Carlisle won't hold to it too long. He's upset but in the end he loves you. You can't come home now. It would give too much away. Unless you want to leave Carlisle and Esme permanently, you're stuck."
I didn't want to give up my family. I had worked too damned hard to control them. They were perfect for our games. Without them, Edward and I would have to change our tactics. "No, you're right Edward. But now that the little slut is dead… think about coming home. Please? I mean, of course you'll have to mourn her… But at least I wouldn't be alone here. Everyone is pissed off at me Edward. I need you here to help fix things." I was full out whining at this point. He was hiding away enjoying his time without the family while I was stuck with the fallout.
"I'll see what I can do Alice…" His voice faded as I slipped into a vision.
VISION
"It's good to be home brother." Peter met Jasper in a small airport terminal. "I'm glad you finally got your shit together Major. We're happy to have you home." The two men collected his bags and headed out the front doors.
The sky was dark and clear. The moon shone brightly over the mountain tops. "Char's excited to see you too. Angel won't be home when we get there, but should be along in a few days. She's off on a discovery adventure of sorts."
Jasper looked up at the moon. The moonlight reflecting in his red eyes…
END VISION
"Alice… did you hear me love?" Edward was practically shouting through the phone. "Sorry honey, I was in a vision. He's going to go back to feeding on humans… and return to Peter and Charlotte. I don't think we have to worry about Major Whitlock anymore Edward!" I was beyond excited. If he was feeding from humans, there was no way Carlisle would allow him to return. Especially not have the Bella incident. "Come home Edward. We can get back to normal with time. Besides, I miss my mate."
-Rosalie-
That stupid cunt of a vampire ruined my family. I couldn't believe she lied to Jasper. If she lied to Jasper, how do we know she hasn't outright lied to the rest of us all these years? What else was she hiding? Carlisle seemed to think that grounding was the best option. I had argued and argued with him, but he still saw her as a daughter. He felt that she must have had a good reason to lie about being mated to Jasper, more so than what she divulged all those weeks ago. In my book… lying about being mated ranks pretty high up there with forcing yourself on someone.
First we lost Bella. I know what you're thinking – 'You never liked Bella...' Well that's just a load of crap. Sure I didn't like that she put our family in danger, but deep down I really did love her dearly. She was the little sister I never had. I felt closer to her than I ever had Alice. I may have come off cold, but I didn't want to get attached. She could have died any day. Hell, look what happened! She did die, by her own hand no less.
I heard the bitch come back in from her hunt. She made a beeline for Esme who was in the kitchen making food for one of the local women's shelter. "Edward's coming home." The bitch whispered to our mother. "Are you sure Alice?" Everyone had been skeptical of her 'visions' since the Jasper incident. "It's not a vision Esme, I talked to him on the phone not but ten minutes ago." She sounded like a petulant child.
"When will he be here?" I could hear the excitement and relief in Esme's voice. "He said sometime tomorrow morning." I wasn't quite sure how I felt about Edward returning. First he made us leave Forks and Bella. Then he immediately leaves the family to sulk on his own. It was his choice to leave. The least he could do was stick around and help the family through this tough time. But no, pretty boy Edward couldn't be bothered with anyone else or their feelings. "Thank you Alice. If you would go and deliver this food to the shelter when your volunteer shift starts, I would appreciate it."
With that Esme left the kitchen and headed for Edward's room. I walked at human speed down the hall to my brother's room. Esme was working on dusting and cleaning it for him. She never liked us to return to a dirty room. "Oh Rose, did you hear? Edward's coming home!" She was truly excited and I could see the light in her eyes again. I couldn't fault her for that. She loved all of us and it pained her deeply when someone took off on their own. "Yeah I heard. I'll go grab his things from the garage and we can set up for him." Esme smiled at me and I couldn't be happier that she was finally finding some joy in life again.
I returned with several boxes of CD's, sheet music and books. Esme and I worked at human speed to help pass the time. "I miss Jasper." It came out of nowhere and in all honesty, I hadn't meant to say it out loud. I didn't want to take away her elation from having Edward return. "I do too sweetheart. I just hope in time he'll come home. Our family is incomplete without him." She continued placing the books on the shelf. "Our family will always be incomplete Esme." She just nodded. We didn't need to talk about it. We both knew that no matter how we pieced the remaining members back together, we'd never be complete without her.
"What if Jasper never comes home?" I was worried he wouldn't. After what happened with Alice, I couldn't blame him. I was still pissed as all hell that Carlisle hadn't punished her more. She deserved to be banished, maybe left to the Volturi. Whatever she deserved, her current punishment let her off easy. Secretly I hoped Major Whitlock would exact revenge for all the years of being her puppet.
FLASHBACK
We were gathered around Alice. Jasper had just called her out for lying to him. He denied her as a mate. According to Jasper and Major Whitlock, Alice had lied and manipulated Jasper into believing she was his mate.
"I'm not lying about Bella. She's gone and we can't go back. Even if we could we must honor Edward's wishes regarding Bella and Forks. She's his mate. It is his call, no one else can change that. As far as the mate issue goes, I didn't lie. Jasper is my mate. It's just that well, Major here isn't."
Major Whitlock roared causing every vampire in the room to tense and look down in submission. One thing we knew when dealing with Major Whitlock, was that we had to show complete submission. He was a true Alpha Vampire. He was brought into this world and used for complete domination over hordes of new vampires. Major Whitlock was not a vampire you wished to piss off.
"That is an outright lie Mary Alice. I suggest you start speaking nothing but truths if you wish to keep yourself in one piece. I will not warn you again. I am leaving your fate to Carlisle out of respect for him and his coven. However, I do not have the patience to deal with your bullshit any longer. You will divulge the truth here and now to Carlisle or you will be dealing with the true Major of the South." His eyes were dark as night. He was something to behold and fear all at once. Above all else he was my brother and I couldn't be happier that I was not an enemy.
"Fine. You want answers Major… I'll give you answers. Your Jasper was a puppet. I woke up in this world alone with visions of a perfect future. Unfortunately, I didn't know whose future I was seeing. It definitely was not mine. My future was much more… empty. Rather than wallow in my loss, I simply decided to mould the future to benefit me. Along the way I ran into some less than savory vampire males. One experience like that was enough for me. Of course I was able to see their plan for me before they were able to actually follow through, but the intent was clear. Instead, I tortured them for information on the vampire world and social structure. I discovered that if I wanted to survive in this supernatural world, I'd need protection. Who better than the God of War Major Jasper Whitlock himself to protect me?"
Major Whitlock growled again. Esme gasped and turned into Carlisle's embrace. She was horrified at the sinister plot of her own daughter. My Emmett was vibrating with rage. I could feel it through our mating bond. If I didn't calm him down he'd tear Alice apart himself. I moved closer to Emmett and forced him to sit. Sitting in his lap to restrain both of us, I ran my fingers through his hair. He slowly began to calm.
"If you want the rest of the story Major, you need to calm your ass down." Alice spoke petulantly. "Anyway, I searched and searched for you through my visions. See I lied when I said I needed to be familiar with a person in order to actually search for them. All I need is a name and general idea of who they are and I can find pretty much anyone through my visions." The little bitch was cocky. "I watched as you tore newborns apart and when you let those heathens escape. I had a front row seat to all the pain you put yourself through. The guilt, the depression; I saw it all. I saw it all and I used it against you. I knew it'd only be a matter of time before you broke. I just needed to be there to pick up the pieces." Her grin was pure evil. The lengths she went to get Jasper truly scared me.
"When you left with your brother, I knew I'd have my chance soon. I had planned that day in the diner for so long. When you walked in and sat next to me I used every emotion, every word I knew would make you come with me. I made promises of a better future. A future where you wouldn't feel the guilt, the disgust with yourself every time you fed. You should be thanking me Major Whitlock. I gave Jasper something no one could. I gave him peace."
Carlisle looked truly appalled at this woman he came to love as his own daughter. "You knew the whole time he wasn't your mate?" He asked in a strained voice. "Yes Carlisle, I knew. Hell I'm thankful he's not my mate. I could never be mated to such a scarred monster." Her sneer turned directly toward Jasper. "Why do you think I always made you keep your shirt on? What makes you think you would ever be deserving of me? You were nothing more than a pet, an oversized guard dog."
At this point Major Whitlock couldn't hold back any longer. He lunged across the room, grabbing Alice by the neck. He had her pinned to the wall before any of us could blink. "You lying manipulative little bitch!" He sniffed her from her collarbone to her ear. "I smell your fear Alice. It makes this so much more fun for us." She whimpered and clawed at his hand. "You thought we were a pet? A guard dog you say? Have you never been told to watch for wild animals? That they bite?" He then bit directly into her neck, injecting a large amount of venom.
Alice screamed in pain but otherwise didn't say a word. What could she say? She admitted to everything. "Do you know what I did to vampire bitches that lied to me in the war? Hmm?" He asked her in a deathly calm voice. Her eyes glazed over and a look of pure terror crossed her face. "You saw that decision did ya?" Major asked her. This time he let up on her throat just enough to allow her to speak. "P-please. No. I may not have loved Jasper, but he loved me. You wouldn't dare hurt him that way. Please. I'll do anything."
He dropped her to the ground and placed his foot on her chest, holding her in place. "Now listen here you bitch. I will not be handing out your punishment, as I stated before, this is the duty of your Alpha. However, should you ever leave the Cullen coven, I will not hesitate to hunt you down and do exactly what you saw in your vision." He was quiet a moment, almost like he was lost in thought. "Also, should I find that you have intentionally harmed my mate or kept her from me, you will no longer fall under Cullen rule. I will exercise my right as her mate and your demise will be more painful than you could even fathom. Do you understand me?"
END FLASHBACK
"I have to believe he'll come home sweetheart. We have to think positively. Our family cannot remain broken." I could feel the sadness flow from Esme. I wished I could think positively, if not for myself, but for Esme. Sadly, deep down I knew that as long as Alice remained unpunished for her deceit, Jasper would stay far away from the family.