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Demetri - DPOV

Aro smiles softly as Bella leans into my embrace, but his eyes harden as he turns back to look at Carlisle and Esme and says: "You disappointed me, old friend."

Bella – BPOV

I watch as Aro slowly steps closer to Carlisle and Esme and swallow inaudibly as Carlisle slumps his shoulders as my father says: "You disappointed me, oldfriend. Bella loved you as a father; she opened her heart and accepted you without reservations. She trusted you more than her father at the time, and you abandoned her. Tell me, Carlisle. Who is the leader of your coven?"

Carlisle looks confused as he raises his head and says: "I am, Aro. You know that." Aro snorts as he shakes his head before saying: "You are the head of your family, Carlisle, a father figure for five grown vampires acting like teenagers. You're anything but the leader you are supposed to be. A real coven leader may listen to the opinion of his coven members, but in the end, he's the one that takes the important decisions. You let Edward dictate you at every turn. It was always his vote, that outweighed all the others, even that of your mate. You never once decided to go against him, which would have granted Alice a new vision to work with. So I'll ask again, Carlisle. Who is the leader of your coven?"

Carlisle bows his head in disgrace as he says: "I was supposed to be, but I failed miserably. I was alone for so long before I changed Edward. He was not only my first companion. He was my son, and I loved him. I valued his opinion, but you are right. I shouldn't have let all that influence my decisions. We all know where that led us."

Aro nods as he pats Carlisle's shoulders and says: "I understand to love you felt for Edward now that I have a daughter of my own, dear friend. And even though Bella's opinion is of great value to me, her words are not law. My brothers and I decide what is best for our coven, and if Bella disagrees with our decisions, she will tell us. It won't make me love her any less. Nor will Bella stop seeing me as her father if I choose to ignore her opinion. A coven is not a democracy, nor is it run by emotion, Carlisle. We have the best interest of all our members in mind when we make decisions in the name of the Volturi, and that is where you failed when you listened to Edward and left the most vulnerable member of your coven behind. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Carlisle's eyes shine with venom tears that will never fall as he glances my way before saying: "I have to live the rest of eternity, knowing that I failed the one person that deserved my love and loyalty. 'Ashamed' is just one of the words I would use to describe how I feel about myself."

Demetri - DPOV

I don't need to look at Bella's face to know her eyes, too, are glistening with tears as she grips my hand tightly in response to Carlisle's words. Knowing my mate, she has already forgiven the man for what happened. She can't hold a grudge, even if her life depended on it. That's how big her heart is and why I love her so much. Jasper gives me a knowing smile as he turns to look at his sister, and I give him a thankful nod as a sense of calm washes over us, and Bella relaxes in my arms.

Aro smiles as he watches the interaction between us for a second before turning to Carlisle and saying: "You have seen the error of your ways, Carlisle. Thank the Gods for that. In a way, I find myself thankful that you listened to that immature boy. That decision set everything into motion and ultimately led Bella to us. She is the heart of our coven, and we will never fail her. I can guarantee you that. Your decision to stand by Bella and Demetri during Edward's trial, your sincere remorse, and your love for my daughter are why you will leave this throne room alive, old friend, but if you ever hurt her again, you won't live to tell the tale. I will kill you myself."

I chuckle darkly as Caius snorts in response to Aro's words before saying: "You won't even get the chance to kill him yourself, Aro. Demetri will most certainly beat you to it." Aro laughs loud as he turns to look at his brother and says: "That's so true, Caius. Let that be another motivation to never hurt Bella again, Carlisle. As you can see, plenty of people will have your head if you do. As for your punishment: Firstly, Carlisle Cullen, you are no longer the leader of your coven. We forbid you to perform that role now and for the rest of your existence. You lack the tenacity to make the hard decisions. Your compassion simply won't let you. If you decide to live outside of Volterra after serving your sentence, you can join another coven or you can choose to live alone with your mate. I don't need to tell you what will happen if we find out that you've taken up the role of coven leader once more. You know better than most that the Volturi don't give second chances.

Secondly, for exposing our kind to a human and for leaving that human behind alive, you will serve a sentence of fifty years. You will join our medical unit in Florence, where you will help with their research on cancer and other diseases that threaten our main food source. You get the chance to do good for humanity, even if you disagree with our intentions. Just remember that it's a punishment and not a reward. You will report to Chelsea at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. She will take you to Florence."

Carlisle nods in agreement as Aro turns to Esme and says: "Esme Cullen, you got caught between a rock and a hard place when Edward demanded you leave Bella behind. You never openly contradicted your mate, but your thoughts show me how devastated you were when Carlisle ordered everyone to leave Forks. He made you leave one of your children behind. He made you do the one thing you swore never to do again, but you never once tried to change his mind. Your loyalty toward your mate outweighed your love for your daughter, and we will never know if your opinion would have been enough to sway Carlisle from making the worst decision of his existence. Bella might forgive you for abandoning her, Esme, but she will never again see you as her mother. I hope your loyalty was worth it. Personally, I think it was not. You will serve the Volturi for twenty-five years, during which you will oversee the training of the secretaries as well as the refurbishment of the castle. You will report to Heidi at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, and she will help you get settled. Do you have anything to add, brothers?"

Bella – BPOV

I watch as Aro walks back to his throne while Marcus shakes his head and says: "Judgement has been passed. I have nothing to add." Caius rolls his eyes at his brother as he turns to Carlisle and says: "The Volturi don't give second chances, Carlisle. I recommend you to remember that from now on. Eternity is a long time with lots of opportunities to mess up. I'll be watching you. Now, get out of my sight!"

Aro rolls his eyes at Caius as he raises his hand and says: "As my dear brother so eloquently put it: this meeting is adjourned. Members of the former Olympic coven, you all have your orders. The rooms assigned to you are yours for the remainder of your stay. Any questions you may have, later on, you can ask Demetri. Felix, please escort them back to their rooms."

I watch as the Cullens bow their head in response to Aro's words before following Felix out of the throne room in total silence. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as the doors close behind them and smile as Demetri kisses my temple before saying: "You are incredible, amore mio."

I raise my brow questioningly as I turn to look at him and say: "Why do you say that?" Demetri smiles as he leans down to kiss me and says: "I love how you love with all your heart. Not many vampires out there would have forgiven the Cullens for what they did to you, Bella, but you have this amazing ability to see the good in people even when others fail to see it. But I agree with Aro: if any of them ever hurt you again, it won't end well."

I smile softly as I pull him closer and say: "I know, Demi, and that's one of the reasons why I love you so much. You are the other half of my soul. And you would die before ever abandoning me. Ti amo tanto*, Demi." Demetri smiles brightly as he lifts me into his arms and spins me around before saying: "You're everything to me, Bella. Ti amo, amore mio."

A sudden huff from Caius pulls our attention back to the dais, and we both laugh loud as Caius points at the doors and says: "You're giving me cavities with all those sugar-sweet words. There's only so much I can handle, and I have reached my limit. Go and do that somewhere far away from me. How can you stand it, Aro?" I smile as my father shakes his head at his brother and says: "True love is the most wonderful sight, Caius. My daughter deserves to be this happy after everything she went through. This trial made me realize how much could have gone wrong. I thank the gods for this ending, so let them be."

I giggle as Caius rolls his eyes at his brother's back, and I smile as Aro holds out his arms and says: "A hug for your father?" I nod as I rush into his arms and say: "I love you, papà." Aro hugs me a little tighter before pulling back, and I smile as he says: "You are the light in my life, Bella. Can I ask that you stay in Volterra for a few days before returning to Villa Bella? I like to spend some time with you."

I turn to Demetri, and I smile as he nods and says: "Don't mind me, tesoro. A new batch of recruits arrived this morning, and I need to work out their training schedule. That way, Felix can take over when we return home." Aro smiles as I blow Demetri a kiss before saying: "I'll stay a few days, but I would like to train my shield at Villa Bella. We have loads of space to practice there, and Demetri believes I will be more at ease there."

Aro nods as he turns to Demetri and says: "I must say that I agree, Captain. Training a gift with mental and physical aspects will be a challenge, and it might help a great deal if Bella is home where she's most relaxed. It's an excellent idea; you have my approval to train at Villa Bella. Just make sure that no one notices anything strange."

Demetri - DPOV

Aro smiles as Bella throws herself into my arms and says: "Can we go tell Jasper?" I snicker as I pull back a little before saying: "I bet Alice already told him, but we'll swing by their room on our way to our quarters. Is there anything you need from us right now, Master Aro?"

Aro shakes his head as he plops back into his throne and says: "No, Captain. You are dismissed. There will be plenty of work for you tomorrow. Enjoy the evening and night off. Mia figlia, I'll be in my study the whole day tomorrow. You can join me at any given time. I look forward to it." Bella beams as she nods and says: "Me too, papà. Have a nice evening." Even Caius smiles softly as Aro nods and says: "I will, Bella, now shoo."

Bella giggles as I guide her out of the throne room, and I smile as she leans her head against my shoulder as we walk towards Jasper's room. I'm not even surprised as the door opens before we have time to knock, only to find a hyper-active Alice on the other side. How Jasper can live with her is beyond me. Maybe I should find them a house a bit further away from Villa Bella than I originally planned? Alice giggles as she closes the door behind us and says: "Not going to happen, Demetri."

My face must speak volumes because Jasper laughs loud as he looks at me before saying: "You'll get used to it eventually, Demetri. You can't keep anything from my Alice. It only took me a couple of decades." I groan as I drop onto the couch next to Bella and say: "You suck as a motivational speaker, Jasper. So I guess I was right when I told Bella that you already know why we're here?" Jasper nods as Alice plops down on his lap and says: "Yes, Alice saw it when Aro decided to go through with your plan. It's an excellent idea, by the way. When do we start?"

Bella smiles brightly at her brother's enthusiasm before saying: "Aro asked me to stay in Volterra for a couple of days. That way, I can spend some much-needed time with my father, and Demetri needs to take care of some business anyway. We can leave for Villa Bella after that." Alice smiles brightly as Jasper nods in agreement, and I can help but smile too as Bella lays her head against my shoulder while talking to Jasper about everything that happened today. The interaction between Bella and Jasper flows so naturally that it baffles me that no one saw their connection from the start. I can only be thankful for that because that oversight led Bella to me.

It's already past midnight as we walk to our room, and Bella hasn't stopped smiling since we left the throne room. It's amazing to see her this happy. She shines almost as radiant as the sun, and I find myself falling in love with her all over again. I will never get enough of this woman. Bella gives me a quick kiss as we enter our room, and I frown as she rushes into the bathroom and closes the door. What is my mate up to?

* Ti amo tanto = I love you so much

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