(Rosalie's pov)
I furiously stalked away from my former family with my mate, masking my rage as we walked through the crowd of guests and made our way to our shared bedroom. We quickly changed out of our wedding attire and gathered our essentials that were already packed into duffel bags and suitcases; things like money, important jewelry, and a few clothes. Emmett remained silent as we did so, but I knew him well enough to know he was seething as much as I was. Emmett had come to truly care for Bella, as much as I had, though I adamantly made sure she never knew it. I couldn't bear going through that again, not after Anna. I tried to warn her, so many times. She was so stubborn, just like she was. I never got over what had happened, and I never forgave my family for it. We would have left them after that, I wanted to, but in my hurt and anger I dug deeper, and unearthed the conspiracy of it all. I had foolishly trusted Carlisle, and my trust was shattered. I shook my head to put aside the memories as I started the engine. Emmet placed the last of the bags of our money and valuables in the trunk of my BMW convertible. He jumped into the passenger side and I pulled out of the garage, ignoring the stares of the remaining wedding guests as we sped down the long driveway. For a long time we drove in silence, not wanting to tip Alice off before we could get close enough to the reservation.
"You should have let me rip his ass apart." Emmet finally seethed beside me.
"If it were at all an option, I would have already done so myself." I calmly answered with my eyes on the road, stowing my rage, savoring it. "Remember, there's an innocent girl involved. If we're going to stop them, we have to remain calm and logical."
"How are we supposed to do that now? The only reason we stayed was so that we could prevent this from happening again-"
"We were already easing our way out the door anyway, it's an inconvenience but we don't need to be that close to them anymore anyway, we have our allies now."
"And you're still banking on them joining us?"
"They're guaranteed to, especially now."
"And our little ally, she really can't, you know, give us the same mental barrier she's giving the Quileute wolf pack?" He leaned his head on his arm. "Would be nice to have an even fight with that sadistic brat for a change."
"I've told you, she can only secure the blessing for them. And it's only for however long her… ingredients last. That's part of why we need to visit La Push."
"You really trust this witchy broad?"
"She comes from a very old and knowledgeable family, and she clearly cares a lot for Bella. So yes, I do."
"Okay, so what is our plan now?"
"None, for now. I'm not making any decisions on anything until we can get deep into La Push and surround ourselves with members of the pack."
"To block Alice, right?"
"Until our little witch friend can find a better way, yes."
"Bella's probably already there, too. Are we going to fill her in now?"
"I'm sure she's probably feeling… a lot of things right now. I don't want to overwhelm her, but yes we are going to need to talk to her eventually, preferably with at least one pack member present."
"Can they really help protect her? We-"
"They will, they still remember, too." They have to.
"Tell me you at least have a plan for how we're going to cross the boundary line, without getting ripped apart by wolves. I doubt they'll be in the mood to listen to reason. Not that I mind a good fight."
"I do."
"Well?"
"You'll find out when we get there."
He groaned in exasperation. It couldn't be helped, we were all in a very fragile situation, and Bella Swan was dead center of it.
The rest of the drive was silent again. We had already entered the territory enough to block Alice, and were closer to reaching the new boundary line. I cleared my mind as we drove and prepared myself for anticipated confrontation. The only reason the pack ever tolerated us was because of Bella, and Jacob's feelings for her. Now the wedding was off, and her ties with us were cut, there was no reason to pretend to be friends anymore. If only it were that cut and dry. The pack had only the smallest inkling of my former family's true intentions, and Bella was completely ignorant of them. I hated that I had to be the one to tell her the truth, but she needs to know. If Jacob hadn't arrived when he had today I would have already had her whisked away to a safe place to talk, but I had to admit it was better this way. She would need all the protection she could get, and I would have a much easier time convincing the Quileutes to help us now.
When we approached the boundary line, I stopped the car just past it, then I grabbed the necklace out of my purse and palmed it. Right on que, we heard howling in the distance, golden eyes reflected in the dark shadows of the thick forest that framed the road, even though the sun had just begun to set. I stepped out of the car and held up my hands and Emmett nonchalantly followed suit.
"We're not here to cause trouble," I began, the necklace tight in my palm. "We have information. We need to talk with Sam Uley."
The brush rustled and two wolves came forward, each growling a warning, there was a giant explosion of black fur further in the wood and Sam Uley came forward after having taken a second to put on a pair of jeans.
"We were very clear, before."
"We're no longer members of the clan,"
"We don't care, the treaty still stands. As well as-"
I dangled the necklace in my hand, Anna's locket. "We need to talk." I reiterated.
"And how does that make any difference?" He asked as he crossed his arms, the other two pack members took a few aggressive steps forward, eagerly waiting for his command to strike. Emmett stepped in front of me, ready for a brawl.
"It belonged to Anna." I opened the locket to show the two vintage pictures inside.
He stared at me in shock, "How did you get that? Billy Black-"
"I'm an old hag, remember? I was there, I was her friend. I still am." I fought back the sorrow and the regret that threatened to choke me, I needed to focus. To stay in the present.
"This doesn't mean we trust you."
"It doesn't have to, we just need to talk. All of us."
"... Fine. They'll take you somewhere discreet so you can park that red monstrosity." He looked down at one of the wolves, "Jacob should be getting in contact with us soon, let him know there'll be a pack meeting. And to bring Bella. It seems we have a lot to discuss."
The two wolves threatening us halted their growling and stepped back, Emmet relaxed his own defensive stance. Both wolves loped into the dense forest, after a few moments, Leah Clearwater returned to us, wearing a tank top and tight jean shorts. She gave us directions to a path that led to an off road clearing nearby, insisting only one of us take the car while the other stayed put with her and Sam Uley. While we waited for Emmett's return, Sam used his cellphone to call a woman named Emily, who I assumed was his romantic partner, telling her to expect a full house within the next hour or so, and that Emmett and I were coming, with a steeled edge to his voice. I sighed internally, I already knew that this would be difficult, my family hadn't exactly been friendly towards the pack and I understood their great reluctance to trust us. I wondered how much this new generation even knew.
Finally, we made our way to the Uley household as the sun lazily finished setting and gave way to twilight. A few members of the pack had already shown up and were hanging around on the patio. They greeted Emmett and I with stern, suspicious eyes. I didn't need Jasper's ability to know that we weren't welcome guests. A woman with a long scar down her beautiful face opened the front door and ran out to wrap her arms around Sam Uley. I couldn't help but notice that for just a moment, he seemed reluctant to return her embrace, and that Leah Clearwater looked away in pure disgust. Interesting. After a few awkward moments, the woman who I assumed to be Emily finally let him go and turned to me and Emmett, looking us up and down. After she had her fill assessing us, she invited us inside.
Trying not to choke on the awkward atmosphere, I led Emmett inside the little house. It was quaint, and gave me a pang of nostalgia for an era long gone. Sensing we wouldn't be welcome on the furniture, Emmett casually leaned against a wall and I stood beside him, watching as more of the pack members slowly began to pile into the house. They talked and joked amongst themselves, but no one ever took their eyes off of Emmett or me for long. One of the members, who I recognized as Paul, demanded to know why the hell Sam invited 'leeches' to the pack meeting, which got the attention of everyone, who echoed his sentiment.
Sam held up a hand in a demand for silence and everyone immediately clammed up. "As most of you already heard, there's been a…change in development-"
"Yeah, she didn't end up marrying Dracula, how is this worthy of a pack meeting?" The one I now recognised as Jared called out. People nodded and called out their agreement to his question.
Sam fixed Jared with a glare, "The wedding impacted us all, whether any of you realize it or not." Confused chattering, Sam once again simply held up his hand and the room fell into silence. "A lot of you are new, and even more of you have never heard the history before. The true reason we ever made the treaty to begin with." Every face reflected curiosity. "There was more to the story you've all been told, and the… woman here, was present then." He gestured towards me. "She witnessed what happened, she was here all those years ago, and now she claims to have even more important information for us. We're going to listen to her, respectfully, and everything should become more clear."
He stepped to the side of the room and I walked forward, taking his place. Emmett watched me carefully, ready to pounce should things go awry. The once rowdy group silently stared and waited for me to speak. "I know none of you trust me, or my mate. And I understand why. I'm not asking you to put your prejudice aside, you're wiser to keep it cloaked around you. I'm asking you to listen to what I have to say, to hear the warning behind my words, and to help me save an innocent human girl. I'm asking you to hear me, and to help me stop history from repeating itself." I slowly met each and every pair of eyes with my own as I spoke. "I'm asking you to help me stop my family."
The front door opened, and Bella and Jacob entered, holding hands, the last members to join the meeting. Bella nearly bulked in shock seeing me and Emmett, but Jacob gently and quietly calmed her down, then shot Sam an angry look. Sam gestured for them to sit down in the only floor space really left in the room. They quietly did so with Jacob positioning himself between me and her, keeping her closer to the door. Bella eyed me with curiosity and anxiety. I stared deep into her eyes. "You of all people need to listen closely, Bella. You're at the dead center of it all."
Her eyes widened and Jacob wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders. I broke my eye contact not wanting to make her feel any more unsettled, and continued. "We need to start back at the beginning. Before the treaty was first signed, in 1939." Deciding that a more casual air would better benefit the present members of the living, I nonchalantly leaned my butt against the arm of a loveseat in the room, and the one named Paul leaned away from me looking offended. I ignored him and began recounting the history, the true history.
"My family consisted of myself, my mate, Esme, Carlisle and Edward. I had been a vampire for about three years, and my mate Emmett was still a newborn at the time, still in his first year. We had settled in the area nearby because it was allegedly remote wilderness and full of prey, an easy and comfortable place for Emmett to work on his 'control'. Or so we were told. Neither of us knew the truth then, and didn't learn it until much later. It wasn't long until we encountered your tribe, though Emmett and I had naively believed that it was by accident and not design. We still foolishly believed the lies Carlisle fed us, you see, but I digress. At first, we were all very friendly with each other. We got along well, and we looked out for each other. We were allies, both outsiders of our own kind. Ephraim Black was a kind and courageous leader, he cared for his people and his family, and he kicked my ass at poker more times than I care to admit. I had grown to consider him a true friend, especially his children. I'm sure you all know the names, his sons and his twin daughters… and his eldest daughter, Anna." I paused for a moment and met Jacobs eyes, "She was your great, great Aunt. Sometimes you favor her so much it takes me back over seventy years. I had formed the closest bond with her. She was young and vibrant, beautiful and artistic. The very embodiment of sunshine. She was a romantic with so many dreams, and only the ripe age of sixteen. We spent so many lazy summer days on the beach together." I choked back strong emotion. The memories, both painful and sweet, flooded my brain and threatened to drown me. I needed to get through this, I needed to tell her story. She deserved it. "I never imagined that there was ever anything sinister behind our arrival, I truly didn't. I had believed that it was all circumstance, that we had been blessed to find our new found friends. That we didn't have to be alone in this… life of ours. That we didn't have to hide. But it wasn't, it had all been meticulously planned from the start, even before I was turned." The burning sensation of tears that would never be able to form again, I tried to keep them out of my voice. "It wasn't long before a new romance bloomed between Anna and my 'brother' Edward. He charmed her, he wrote her poetry and lullabies and made her promises. He swept her off her feet, just like he did with you, Bella. I talked to him about it so many times, I told him that this life was never meant for a girl like Anna. She deserved better than being so entwined with us. He didn't listen and at the time I assumed it was because he had loved her too, I hadn't learned the truth yet. I eventually appealed to Ephriam, told him that we valued their friendship but a romance between our families would never lead anywhere good, that it was best to encourage Anna to look to a fellow human for partnership, not a member of the dead. And he agreed, to which Anna fiercely rejected. Edward was all she wanted, and he fed off of the drama, knowing that the more forbidden their love was the more entrapped she was to him. Eventually, they eloped and married in secret. Ephraim was pissed, I was pissed, but what could be done? Things were different back then. It was only a few days later that we learned that Anna was pregnant, from their wedding night." Everyone stared in shock. "The pregnancy developed fast, and no matter how hard I tried she refused to see reason and insisted on going through with it. I begged Carlisle to do something, he was a doctor, but he gave me nothing but excuses and platitudes. Then Edward tried to keep her alienated from all of us, making sure nothing interfered. Carlisle and Esme had suddenly left for Italy, back then I couldn't imagine why of all times, but it became disgustingly clear later." I took a deep breath and prepared to tell the hardest part. Emmett silently nodded, reminding me he was still here for me. "I'll spare you the details and get to the point. The romance between Edward and Anna was never genuine." I locked eyes with Bella. "And neither was his romance with you." She stared back in shock and heartbreak, her mouth agape but completely speechless. My own dead heart broke having to tell her this, but it was time. "He and Carlisle are members of the Volturi, they always have been. They work for Aro as scientists, researching and developing hybrids." I paused for a moment and let that sink in. Every person in the room waited for clarity with bated breath. I continued. "They had been experimenting on humans for years, the different effects and conditions involving our transformations, and such. Eventually, through their research they discovered that a male vampire can mate with a female human, and result in a hybrid, the ultimate vampire. Carlisle and Edward had spent decades researching together, and many, many women were killed in the process and no hybrid was viable. Until they learned that they needed a singer, like you Bella, and like Anna." The weight of my words layed heavy on everyone, Bella looked green with nausea, Jacob looked ready to kill. "He never intended to turn you, Bella. He never intended for you to survive, those are the same lies he told Anna. He scouted you out the moment Alice foresaw your move to Forks. No human mother ever survives giving birth to a hybrid. And that hybrid is never anything other than an unstoppable killer."
Faces filled with shock and disgust. "That's when I learned that my own transformation was part of their research. Carlisle had witnessed the… circumstances of my death and on a whim had turned me, wanting to know what would happen if… Well, you can guess. Emmett and I had finally learned the depths of all their lies after Anna's death. The reason your tribe made the treaty with us, and buried the secret was because of the threat of the Voltori. Ephraim wanted blood but he knew anything other than compliance would mean the annihilation of his entire tribe. As for me and Emmett, I never let my former family know how much Emmett and I had learned and we chose to stay with them, as hard as it was for me, because of the promise I had made to Anna." I clenched my fists, commanding my hurt and rage to stay welled up inside me. "She died in my arms, and I swore to her that I would never allow it to happen again. I would never allow another woman to die like she did. Another monster to be born."
Emily broke the deafening silence, "What happened to the hybrid?"
All eyes turned to me. "She killed many, many tribes men on the day of her birth. We tried to stop her, to take her down, as hard as it was to try to hurt an infant, even a demonic one. She literally grew in front of our eyes, aged to a toddler in seconds. And still she overpowered us, even Emmett had trouble subduing her. In the end, it was Ephraim who managed to kill her. It nearly broke him." I rolled up the long sleeve of my shirt, showing the jagged, jet black crescent scar that marred my forearm and Emmett leaned forward and lifted the hem of his shirt, showing the black scar on his side. "This is what hybrids are capable of. Their venom is pure corruption, unlike any other on Earth."
"How rare are these singers? Why wait so long to target Bella?" Jacob asked, trying to keep his tremors under control.
"Singers are rare, but not so rare as to only find one every seventy years. Bella's a special case, because of her ability."
More confusion. "What ability?"
"She's what my kind call a shield, though she's abnormal in that her ability is so prevalent in her human life, usually you have to become a vampire to awaken such a talent first. That's why Aro wanted her specifically, he and Carlisle theorized that her mental block would meld well with Edward's telepathy. They would make the ultimate hybrid soldier."
In a quiet voice, Bella asked, "Everything that happened this past year, the battle, the Volturi, Alice and I had to save him from-"
"It was planned, dear child. It was all planned. The incident at your birthday party, the break up, the visit with the Volturi, it had all been planned. Even the attack from James." Bella bulked, "I'm sorry Bella. I am. I tried to warn you, I tried to stop a lot of it, but my hands were tied to a point. If Emmett and I made the wrong move, let them know we knew more than we were supposed to, you would have ended up dead, just like Anna. It was a balancing act, keeping you alive."
A quiet whisper. "Victoria?"
"A disposable pawn of the Volturi, she just wasn't aware of it."
"But Alice, she said she saw me jump, the phone call- she and Edward thought I was dead, that's why-"
"Sweet child, they never thought that. Alice knew you had lived. She saw you jump, and it's true she didn't see Jacob physically save you, but she did see you talking to your father in your house some time afterwards, consoling him about his friend, or would have had she not intervened. It was simply the most opportune excuse."
Tears welled in her eyes now, "I- everything that happened, I hurt my family, my friends, Jacob- going to sacrifice everything for a man who… didn't even love me? A- and was, was going to-to use me?"
I wanted so much to wrap my arms around her, to cry with her. But I knew better, she wouldn't want any contact like that from me or any of my kind, not now. Not ever again. So I did all I could do. I apologized. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry."
Sam spoke up now, "But that's done now right? The wedding's been called off, she left him, right?"
I sighed, "If it were really that simple I wouldn't be here now. I know these people, I've spent several decades with them. They're not going to just let her walk away, as far they're concerned she's a genetic miracle. I'm asking all of you to help me protect her, not just because she's the love interest of one of your pack members, but because she's an innocent girl and she deserves it. And, because choosing otherwise could literally mean the enslavement of the entire human race."
"It sounds like there's a larger conspiracy here, we're just a small pack. Protecting our tribe is one thing, protecting Bella as well is another, but stopping your family and the Volturi? I'm afraid you may be asking more of us than we can give you."
"I know what I ask, Sam Uley. And you're not the only one's I've asked it of. We have other allies, one of whom knows Bella very well and is determined to keep her safe too." I lifted my chin towards Bella, "She's a very good friend of yours, Bella. Her name is Angela Webber."
"Angela? How? Why-"
I held up my hand, "Let me explain. Angela comes from a very old, and very knowledgeable family. For generations they've practiced the old religion. Gods you and I have never heard of. Today your kind would call them pagans or witches, but that's not an apt enough description for them. They know things, and have been watching you for a while, after I sought them out. She and her family are the ones who've been protecting you, all of you. I know you remember when Jacob was injured." Various head nods. "Carlisle treated him, and when he did he drew some of Jacob's blood to sate his curiosity. To make a long story short, I stole what was left of that blood sample from him and it's one of the ingredients Angela and her clan have been using to grant all of you the same protective mental barrier Bella naturally has."
Jacob looked really uncomfortable, Sam asked, "How the hell does that even work?"
"You'll have to ask her for details, but basically from what I understand of it, is that you all share some sort of blood tie and because Jacob is technically the true genetic leader of your pack, she's able to use his blood in an elaborate ritual to direct her prayer for protection around all of you."
Leah growled in frustration, "Okay, I know we turn into giant fur balls and all but this is way too fucking weird, so she's like what, a witch who can shoot light beams out of her finger tips?"
"No, that's all Hollywood. She's not like Sabrina the teenage witch, it's an ancient religion honoring ancient, powerful and very active God's."
"So, there's more to this world than just your kind and ours?" The one I remembered was named Embry asked.
"We are just the tip of the supernatural iceberg."
"You sought us out, and you claim to have more allies, I assume you have some sort of plan?" Sam asked.
"I do-"
"Wait, what about my father?" Bella interrupted, new found anxiety. "He's still at the wedding, isn't he? And Billy? We need to bring them here."
"They didn't leave with any of you?" Emmett asked the former guests, a bit agitated.
"No, we weren't exactly informed, y'know." Paul spoke up.
Sam interrupted, "Enough! Now isn't the time to bicker, obviously we need to retrieve them, sooner rather than later."
"You all left hours ago, there is no way they're still there!" Emmett barked.
"You were lucky you all even left the wedding alive, and that's only because of the head ache your deaths would have caused. There were Volturi soldiers already on the way, they're there by now. None of you will get even close to that house alive, and I doubt that both of them are still there by now anyway."
"So what, we just leave them?!" Jacob demanded, Bella was fighting a panic attack beside him.
"No, we make a plan and we get them back the smart way. The way that doesn't result in both their deaths and yours." I turned towards Emmett. "Take a pack member and go to the Webber's house, and bring Angela and her grandmother here. It seems we have a lot to discuss."