A/N: This one is packed full of drama. Next chapter, no drama. Just Jasper and Isa fluffy-ness.

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– Jasper's POV –

The call to the brothers in Volterra went remarkably well. I usually deal with Marcus, so I put the call into him and told him what was going on. When he had a brief understanding of the situation, he conferenced his brothers and had me repeat the story to them.

They appreciated our honesty. I didn't hold anythin' back and Bella filled them in on her story, too.

I was concerned when Aro asked Bella about her gifts. There was no way in hell we were joinin' the Volturi. If that meant I had to go to war with them, for our freedom, so be it. I don't mind the odd mission here and there when they require our unique skills. But we would not be joinin' them permanently.

As I knew they'd be, they were intrigued by Bella's unique gifts, especially the strength of her shield. They offered their services if we ever wanted to research what she was capable of but that was as far as it went.

To say I was shocked was an understatement!

Then came the best news I'd heard in a long time. Demetri has recently found his mate in a young woman whose gift renders her completely invisible, making her the perfect spy. She was thrilled to find Demetri and happy to join his Coven and work for the brothers.

And, even better! Several years ago, Felix also found his mate in a shield from Malta. Her gift, from what Aro's told us, was even more powerful than what Eleazar says Bella will be capable of!

Aro offered us all a place in the Volturi Coven, or a home if we ever wished to stay with them, but they seemed to have no interest in Bella's gifts! Except to help her learn and train!

So much for Eleazar's plans! My guess is, if he'd gone to the Volturi earlier, Aro would've jumped at the opportunity to have Bella. Who's to say what would've happened if Demetri and Felix found their mates after Bella was forced into servitude? By that point, the two new additions would've been rendered useless by our mate. Let's be thankful Eleazar has a predilection for procrastination!

That was a massive relief!

"You underestimate me, brother," Pete pouted. "Do you think I'd let you call the Volturi if there was even the slightest chance they'd want your mate?"

Isa frowned. "I thought you said they were good."

"They are, but that doesn't mean they ain't underhanded," Pete explained. "They've been playin' this game longer than all of us. They know how to get what they want and they know all the loopholes to the rules they wrote! I wouldn't have risked makin' this call if I believed my little sister was in danger."

There were tears in her eyes as she threw herself at Pete, hugging him.

"Char and I ain't gonna let anythin' happen to ya, Suga Bean," Pete assured her.

"You can always trust us, Suga," Char joined their hug. "I know it'll take time, but, hey! We're vampires! If we've got an abundance of anythin', it's time!"

"Thank you," Isa whispered.

This is what she needed. A family who'd always be there for her, wouldn't lie to her, use her, manipulate her, or hurt her.

After speaking with the brothers, a plan was put into place. They would send a team to Forks. Time was short and they weren't sure if they'd make it to the battle. I didn't expect them to arrive in time. The Volturi rarely see battle anymore. They don't like to get their hands dirty if they can help it. I wasn't gonna factor them into my strategy. If they made it, they'd be useful. If not, we could deal with Victoria and her army by ourselves.

I figure, for our plans to work, it was more important for them to arrive after the battle than before. I wouldn't put it past Eleazar or Carlisle to run!

"What about him?" Char asked, pointin' to Edward who looked smug. "He's heard everything! As soon as he gets his tongue back, you know he'll blab to save his own ass!"

Isa shrugged. "I'll keep him with me."

Smiling, she grabbed a handful of his hair and hoisted his head off the log so they were at eye level. "From what I've been told, you're expected to join the coming battle, Ed. But here's the thing, I don't trust ya. At all. I think Char's right. The moment you get your tongue and legs back, you'll squeal to anyone who'll listen, ruining all our plans, and then run as fast and far as you possibly can because you're a coward!"

Edward's eyes narrowed and I felt his anger surge as he began to growl at Isa.

Isa growled back and slapped him on the nose. Then she looked back at me, smiling brightly. "I've always wanted a pet!" She gasped suddenly, her eyes widening in her excitement. "Or one of those cute little chia pets! Remember those? Hmm. I wonder if I removed the top of his head, and scooped out all the gunk, like a pumpkin . . . wait, will he die if I remove his brain?"

"Yes."

"Best leave that where it is then, I don't want him missing all the fun!" She smiled brightly. "Hmm. I'll plant around his brain," she mused. "Put some nice soil in there and then plant pretty flowers. Bella enjoys gardening, it calms her." She looked back up at me. "Do you think that'll hurt?"

Fuck me. She wants to turn Edward's head into a plant pot! I'm not sure if I'm turned on or horrified!

"Uh, I ain't sure, Darlin'. This is a new one for me. I've never turned a vampire into a plant pot."

She smiled happily. "Well, until the battle is over and we've dealt with this mess, my new pet can stay with me." She said, decidedly, tossing his head up into the air and catching it.

"And the battle, Suga?" Peter asked, smiling like the fuckin' Cheshire cat!

Isa swung Edward's head a few times, like you would a bowling ball, then tossed him into the air, catching him in her hands. "He can fight with me." She decided.

I knew exactly how she was going to use Edward's head in the coming battle and I wasn't about to stop her! Neither, it seemed, were Pete and Char.

– XOXO –

An hour later, we were back on the training field helpin' and teachin' where we could. With any luck, we'd be in fighting shape by the time Victoria arrived.

I was ready to wrap up for the day when Carlisle appeared on the training field lookin' disheveled and crazed. His black eyes locked on my mate. Shockin' the shit outta me, he charged at her! No one was expectin' it. Fuck, it's not like Carlisle to attack anyone. This is the man who refuses to learn how to defend himself! He's not a fighter. He's not violent or aggressive.

Isa had her back to him, so she didn't see him comin'.

I was across the other side of the field, standing stock still in shock, unable to move or look away.

What the fuck is wrong with you, Whitlock! Move it!

From his emotions, Carlisle was intent on doin' some damage to my mate!

Fer fuck sake, Whitlock. MOVE! You don't need to be trained to bite or rip off a few limbs. Our mate is in danger!

I was halfway across the field, when my mate swung around, snarled at the sight of Carlisle charging towards her, and tilted her head back a fraction.

Somethin' shimmered and pulsed through the air. With an echoing thud, Carlisle slammed into an invisible wall. It was reminiscent of a bug hittin' a windshield at top speed! Hell, it did some fuckin' damage, too. I heard the crunch of Carlisle's nose breaking as he collided with the wall! He fell into the grass, crying and bemoaning as venom leaked from his nose.

Eleazar darted across the field and moved to Carlisle's side, fussing and babying the fool. Tanya, Irina, and Carmen moved to surround the pair; their eyes locked on Bella as if she was the threat here!

I moved to my mate's side, somehow managing to step through the shimmering wall that she'd placed between herself and the Denali Coven.

"Darlin'?" I worried.

Without taking her eyes off the pathetic sight before us, she shifted closer to me. "I'm fine, Major."

Her assurances didn't stop me from checkin' fer myself! I shifted behind her, runnin' my hands across her body to assure myself, and The Major, she was unharmed.

Physically, at least.

"What the fuck were you thinkin', Carlisle?" I snarled.

"She attacked me!" Carlisle yelled.

Before Isa or I could say anythin', Irina took the opportunity to start yellin' at my mate, insisting she was the cause of all this drama and that if it wasn't for her none of this would be happening and Laurent would still be alive.

"My God woman, give it a rest, already!" Isa hissed, exasperated. "It's been eighty-five long years, get over it! He was your boyfriend. Your companion. A piece of ass you enjoyed taking to your bed. Nothing more. He was not your mate. The bastard was more than happy to kill me. I'm not sorry he became puppy chow! Because, honestly, if the wolves hadn't killed him, I would have!"

Irina let out a shrill scream and this time Tanya wasn't fast enough to stop her. She lunged fer my mate, swingin' her arms like fuckin' helicopter blades!

What the fuck is that? Who the fuck taught her to fight? The Major snarled.

Isa dodged Irina's arms expertly and with one powerful high kick, Irina's head was ripped clean off her shoulders. Her body dropped to the floor, twitchin' like a dead fish.

Isa scooped up Irina's head and then tossed it back to Tanya. "Keep your sister away from me or she'll die. Permanently."

"Bella!" Carmen called, cradling Irina's headless body in her arms.

Isa spun around and hissed. "My name is Isa!"

"Fine," Carmen huffed. "Isa. What happened to you, child? You've never been so violent and cruel."

"Are you stupid?" Isa asked, frowning. "What happened to me? Seriously? The people I trusted most in this world, those I called my friends, the people I loved were more than happy to sacrifice my life to ensure that simpering fool got away with breaking Volturi laws!"

"He is Eleazar's mate," Carmen argued. "What would you have done?"

"What would I have done?" Isa asked, smirking. "I would have done the same thing Jasper and I did the moment we realized our bond. I would have taken him, fucked him, bitten him, and marked him as mine. I would have taken control of my submissive mate! And if he still found and turned Edward, I would have ripped that little shits head off the moment he started manipulating and using my mate!"

Everyone except the Whitlock Coven turned to stare at Isa in complete shock. None of them would've acted in such a way.

Course not. She would've acted like a real vampire!

"I would not have sat back and taken orders from a simpering, pansy-assed little boy, who likes to play at being a man!" She growled. "I would not have allowed my mate to turn and use Esme!" She hissed. "For fuck sake, Carmen, you're supposed to be her best friend, her sister! And you stayed quiet for a century and a half! You did NOTHING to stop him! He married her! Bedded her! She fell in love with him! shared her life with him! And you watched and stayed quiet!"

"It wasn't my place," Carmen argued weakly. Fuck, even she didn't believe that shit!

"It wasn't your place," Isa sighed. "Are you fucking shitting me? It wasn't your place! That's your lame ass excuse? Esme!" Isa called, looking over at the woman. "Would you have been upset if Carmen had let slip you were about to marry a mated man?"

"No. I wouldn't have been angry with Carmen," Esme answered. "I might've been confused, and hurt, but not angry with anyone but Carlisle. He turned me, used me, lied to me, all for his selfish gains!"

Isa looked back at Carmen. "Is that why you didn't tell her? Because her anger would've been rightly aimed at Carlisle?"

Carmen sighed and bowed her head, shame and remorse pourin' outta her. "Eleazar told me I couldn't intervene. It would upset Carlisle and he couldn't allow that."

Now Esme was up and stood beside Bella, glaring darkly at Carmen. "You didn't tell me the man I believed was my mate, was mated to another man, because you didn't want to upset Carlisle? What about me?" She demanded. "I've spent a hundred and sixty-nine years trapped in a relationship, with a man I can't stand because it wasn't your place to tell me he's gay and mated?"

"I am not gay!" Carlisle bellowed.

"Shut it!" Esme snarled fiercely, her black eyes on a whimpering Carlisle. "One more word from you and I will tear you apart myself!"

"Esme! How dare you threaten your mate and husband!" Carlisle jumped to his feet and rounded on Esme, who promptly threw her arm back and punched Carlisle in the jaw, sending him hurtlin' across the field.

"You're not my mate!" She roared in her fury. "You're not my husband! You are nothing to me!"

With that, Esme spun on her heels and took off back towards the house. Rosalie and Emmett followed, both of them glaring at Carlisle as they passed his crumpled body.

"Do you see what you've started?" Eleazar turned on my mate.

"No, Eleazar. I see what you've started," Isa hissed. "Perhaps if you'd acted on your mating instincts instead of pussy footing around we wouldn't be here right now!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Eleazar snarled.

"God almighty! How can you possibly be so fuckin' stupid?" Isa sighed. "Let me explain it to you, Eleazar. Carlisle—the man you've claimed is your mate—is a submissive male," she said slowly, enunciating her words as if she were speaking to a child.

"Look at him," she demanded. "That is not an Alpha! You should've been the dominant one in the relationship. You would've had the power to force Carlisle to acknowledge your bond. Nothing was stopping you from biting and claiming your mate the moment you two met, much like Jasper and I did. But instead, Carlisle was given free rein to do whatever the fuck he pleased! Which included turning and using a young woman, marrying her, and convincing her she was his mate!"

Like father like son!

"The fact that I have to tell you this, Eleazar, tells me you're not the dominant man I thought you were!" Isa shook her head in disgust. "If there was even a tiny part of you that was Alpha, you wouldn't have thought the solution to your problems was to sacrifice me!"

Oh, hell! She's right. I never saw it until now. Eleazar ain't an Alpha. If anything, I'd say both he and Carlisle are submissive! And that ain't a good thin'.

Fuck no! When two submissives mate it never ends well!

Two Alphas can mate and make it work. It's challenging but not impossible.

And makes fer some fuck awesome fights and makeup sex!

The ideal pairing is an Alpha and a submissive. Like Pete and Char. Pete is dominant, while Char defers to him. She trusts in her mate to keep her safe. Though, Char ain't nearly as submissive as Carlisle! Not even close. She's strong in her own right. She can fight if need be. She can take care of her own needs and make her own decisions. That's what happens when yer raised by a strong Sire and then mate with an equally strong Alpha.

The male in the relationship ain't always the dominant, either. Look at Rosalie and Emmett. Rosalie is dominant, while Emmett defers to her judgment. Though, those two ain't nearly as stable as Pete and Char. But I put that down to bein' raised by Carlisle! He's a weak-minded male who doesn't have a dominant bone in his body!

"Is that why you befriended Bella?" Isa asked. "You saw our gift and our potential and knew you could use us to save that simpering old fool? Is that why you kept us close all these years?"

"Yes," Eleazar admitted.

"No!" Tanya yelled. "You're my friend, Isa. A member of my family. Eleazar has wronged you. And I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner. But we do love you!"

"You love me?" Isa questioned, raising an eyebrow in question. "Oh, that's just hilarious! I was nothing more than Carlisle's get-out-of-jail-free card! Well, no more."

She turned to walk away but Carmen edged forward. "We care about you, Bella!"

Isa looked back at Carmen with black, narrowed eyes. "You've done a great job faking it for the last fifty years, why the hell would I believe you now?"

With that, she turned her back on the shocked Denali Coven and looked over at Char. "Wanna teach me that spin move I saw you do earlier?"

She smiled brightly. "Sure thing, Suga!"

As the two women walked off, Pete threw his arm over my shoulder. "C'mon, brother, let's go watch our girls train, see if we can learn anythin' new."

I followed without a word. I didn't need to throw in my two cents. My mate had said it perfectly. What more was there to add?

– XOXO –

The next day, while everyone was trainin', Kate and Garrett showed up. They apologized for being late, they'd been explorin' in the artic when they got Pete's call.

As soon as Kate explained where they'd been and began regaling Isa with stories about polar bears and penguins, I felt just a smidge of jealousy come from my mate.

She wants that. To be free. I can't say it wouldn't be nice. To live as nomads and travel the world. We ain't ever done that.

There's so much of the world we haven't seen.

"So, what's going on here then?" Kate asked, noticing the tension in the air. Fuck, it was hard to miss!

Esme was inside the house packing. Carlisle's wardrobe was across the front yard. She told Eleazar he had until tonight to remove it or she was planning a bonfire and anything left would be ash by morning.

She spent all of last night burning her entire wardrobe. She no longer wanted to dress like a middle-aged doctor's wife. The downside was, she had nothin' to wear. So, she borrowed Isa's leather pants and a black fitted t-shirt. And a pair of stilettos from Rosalie.

Alice was goin' to go shoppin' for her until Charlie stepped in and told her she wasn't to help. Esme could make these decisions fer herself and go shoppin' when she was ready. It was time fer her to take back her life and not rely on anyone else. Even fer somethin' as simple as shoppin'.

Rose and Emmett were fillin' Kate and Garrett in on the whole sordid drama. But as soon as Eleazar's name was mentioned, Kate turned on him, insisting she wanted to hear the story from him.

The disgust and distrust comin' from her was powerful. I never realized Kate harbored such loathing for Eleazar!

I don't think any of us expected her reaction to his story. She was beyond pissed and didn't bother holding back. As she spoke, the air crackled around her. She laid into him, tellin' him exactly what she thought of him and his pathetic mate.

Then she turned to her sisters. She told Irina how pathetic she is and that Laurent only wanted to use her for what was between her legs, hide out until his former Coven was dealt with, and then planned to leave. He'd tried to seduce Kate and even attempted to rape her but she'd grabbed hold of his dick and zapped him until he was curled up in a ball sobbing for his mummy! He was a charlatan, a thief, a murderer, and an attempted rapist. He doesn't now, nor did he then, deserve Irina's loyalty.

When she turned to Tanya, the disgust rolled off her! She told her she wasn't fit to lead a Coven! If she could manage to close her legs and stop humping anything with a dick, she might've seen what was going on in her Coven!

"You all sicken me!" Kate hissed in disgust. "I will no longer associate myself with despicable, immoral vampires who deem it appropriate to use and manipulate a young vampire! And for what? A man who's broken Volturi law! Rejected his mating bond! Refuses to acknowledge he's gay! And would rather submit to a psychopath who's been manipulating and using him for a century! If Carlisle wants to kiss Edward's ass, Eleazar, I say let him! Where the hell is your self-esteem? You're better than this!"

"Kate . . . you're our sister . . ." Tanya whispered.

"Not anymore," Kate said. "As of last month, Garrett and I are officially nomads."

"O-Officially?" Irina frowned. "You informed the Volturi without speaking with us first?"

"I didn't need to ask your permission, Irina!" Kate snarled. "I left your Coven when you chose to believe Laurent over me! I was your sister! That bastard tried to rape me and you believed him over me! I will NEVER go back! And I sure as hell will never trust you again! Seeing how you've all behaved toward Isabella, I now see I made the right choice!"

Irina's eyes narrowed. "So, you're her sister now . . ."

Kate rolled her eyes. "My relationship with Isabella is none of your concern, Irina. Perhaps you should grow up and stop acting like a naive, insecure little girl! You're a thousand years old. Try acting like it!"

Well, fuck me! At least someone out of that Coven has their head on straight!

Garrett was smirking. He wrapped his arm around Kate's shoulders and kissed her cheek. Like me, he didn't feel the need to add to what his mate said; she'd said plenty for both of them! He seemed happy to follow her lead.

Ain't nothin' wrong with that!

They'd both do well as nomads. Garrett loves the nomadic lifestyle and from the looks of it, it suited Kate, too.

The Denali Coven were left with their mouths open as Kate strode over to my mate and hugged her tightly. I'm not sure what the two women talked about, Garrett and I were shooed away as they chatted.

I couldn't feel anythin' negative in Kate's emotions. She was tellin' the truth; she had no idea about Eleazar's plans or what the Coven had been up to. Unlike the others, she's been travelin' with her mate for the last seventy years. When Bella did see them, it was usually just the two of them, not the whole Coven. And it's rare for the Cullen Coven to see Kate or Garrett, neither of them could stand Carlisle and Edward! They hadn't attended Charlie and Alice's wedding and barely knew anything about Charlie, so I could see how they wouldn't connect him and Bella!

I figured Isa must've believed Kate and trusted her. Though I couldn't feel my mate's emotions, Kate still had her head. I took that as a good sign.