The long evening shadows had long faded into darkness. Jasper had made us come early to the meeting with the wolves. Very early. He wanted to start our training ahead of the agreed time.

The clearing was quiet when we arrived. Only the usual sounds of the forest and Aurora's calming heartbeat disturbed the tranquility. And yet I could feel the tension. I could almost taste it on my tongue. Even Jasper's talent could not prevent our unease. None of us were truly comfortable with this alliance. I didn't trust the wolves and teaching them how to fight vampires seemed to go against every single one of my instincts. I didn't like the idea that the wolves would gain knowledge about us. Knowledge that could very well be used against us some day.

For now we were bound by our common enemy. But who knew what the future would bring? Not even Alice. She was blinded by the wolves.

"Alright!" Jasper raised his voice. He had lined us up in the middle of the clearing. Aurora was propped up against a fallen tree trunk and watched us with all the attention she could muster. "As most of you know, I spent my time before I joined this family as a soldier in the Southern Wars. And I have managed what very few of us did. I survived the wars."

My eyes followed him as he paced before us. His head held high. Arms behind his back.

"Year after year after year. My comrades died like flies. They were created, they fought and they died. Only surviving a battle or two. And do you know what the difference was?" He looked up at us.

"You trained." Edward answered him.

"Yes." Jasper nodded. "I trained. There was little distraction for me. I did not concern myself with petty conflicts within my group. I focused on one thing. One thing only. And that was my survival. I will say that my gift came in handy. I was useful to my creator, otherwise she would have ended me as soon as I lost my newborn strength because only newborn vampires can truly be manipulated by their bloodlust. But I had to do my part by surviving every battle I was sent in."

He rolled up his sleeves. Revealing the many scares that patterned his white skin. The puncture points shimmering in the weak light. Like sparkling ice on white stone. "Every single one of the scars that mark my skin is from an enemy that tried to kill me. And every single one of those enemies is dead. Because otherwise I would be dead in their stead." He sighed heavily. "I know some of you will have a problem with this fight. But I want you to remember that if you don't kill them they will kill you. The Volturi have no qualms about eradicating entire covens if the law dictates this. And I don't want to see one of you hesitating even an instance when they attack you. There is no time for you to consider mercy. There is no time for you to overcome guilt. There is only time for you to act. And act you must. Else we will lose some members of this family."

Emmett nodded decidedly.

"You can deal with the repercussions afterwards. When they attack there will be nothing but you and your enemy. No past. No future. Only you and them. And only one of you can survive. I need you to understand that this is no game. No sparing. This is war. And there will be death. The only question is whether it will be yours or theirs."

I shuddered at his words and the gravness in which he said them.

"We will fight to the death." Esme said solemnly.

My eyes flickered to Dr. Cullen, standing next to his mate. His jar was hard but he did not speak up.

Jasper's eyes flickered over to her and he nodded. "Good."

"So," Emmett asked, "where do we start?"

"I want to evaluate your current abilities. Edward, Emmett," Jasper looked at them both, "I know how you spar but I want to see how you would act in a true fight. There will be no taunting and no laughing. You need to focus."

Edward nodded. "What constellations would you like to start with?"

"Hm," Jasper ran his hands through his hair, "let's start with Alice against Bella."

I nodded and stepped forward. Facing a grinning Alice.

I knew without a doubt that she would win. I had never practiced fighting. Alice must have some experience just from living with the other Cullens. And disregarding my inexperience Alice would always know exactly what I had planned. How could you fight an enemy that knew every move you made before you even executed them? How could you hope to win against an opponent that would see every possible outcome. And Alice knew this as well.

I watched her attentively. Waiting for any movement. And she did the same.

"Come on," Emmett exclaimed, "would you just start?"

Alice took a step to the right. I followed. She stepped closer. I moved back. And then she began to circle me. And I could do nothing but do the same. Watching. Always watching. Hoping to see an attack before it would come. My eyes were wide open. My nose flared.

The leaves under our feet rustled. We wound around each other. A careful dance.

Until she lunged forward with blinding speed.

All I could do was evade her. I stagger to the side. Her hands only softly brushed against my arm. If my heart would still be capable of beating it would have pounded against my ribcage. I know that there won't be much time before she strikes again. I try blinking rapidly to prepare myself.

Alice did not lose her composure when she could not grab me. She had expected it. Instead she whirled around. Her muscles tight. And jumped again.

This time I was too slow. Her hands pushed against my chest. Slamming into me. All the air left my lungs and I lost my balance as I fell hard on my back.

The sound of her impact echoed in the night. Like two stone pillars colliding.

I could not even blink before Alice was on top of me. Using her knees to pin my shoulders to the ground and her hands to hold down my wrists.

"You are as good as dead." She grinned at me. "Should have been faster."

"As if I could win." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Wrong attitude Bella." Jasper scolded me. "You need to fight. What can you do to free yourself now? Before Alice has a chance to decapitate you."

I snarled at him but was trying to struggle now in an effort to loosen her grip on my shoulders, wind my wrists from her iron grip. I tried to twist. I tried to buckle up. But it was no use. Even though she didn't look it, Alice was quite heavy and her grip on me was too tight.

"Now," Alice smiled and brushed her fingers over my cheek. "where to start? If I was Volturi would I simply kill you or enjoy my victory? Make you suffer for a bit longer?"

"Alice!" I growled at her. "Quit playing and kill me."

"I don't think so." She surveyed my face and shook her head. "What would be the fun in that?"

"No Volturi guard would stop this long and delay my death just to savor it. We are in the middle of a battle. Kill me already and be done with it."

She pierced her lips. "And what if they already killed us all? You could be the last of us."

"If they had killed Edward and my daughter no pain they could cause my body would exceed the one in my heart." I said. "But I would never be the last of us. You have seen how easily I am beaten."

Alice raised her eyebrow. "You do know that we would protect you, don't you?"

I narrowed my eyes. Confused.

"Your shield is essential against Jane and Alec. Without you there would no longer be a fight."

I stiffened under her grip. My shield. I had completely forgotten about it. Why hadn't I used it? Alice would have no way to beat me if I had used it. She wouldn't even have any opportunity to touch me.

I closed my eyes. Feeling within my body for the thick elastic that was my physical shield and pushed it out of me.

I could hear Alice's gasp as she was lifted from my body. I could no longer feel her knees pinning my shoulders. I could no longer feel her press down on my body.

I opened my eyes to see her grinning. She was hovering above me.

"Now what do you do, Bella?" Jasper asked me. "How can you use your shield? Even though you would be untouchable, the Volturi guard could attack any other member of our family. What could you do to prevent that?"

I curved my shield. Manipulating it so that Alice was encased in a bubble of my unbreakable membrane. She lifted her hands to feel for any cracks. Any way for her to escape my trapping embrace.

There was none.

I sat up and turned to Jasper. "I could trap them all. And then the family could kill them one by one."

"Exactly!" Jasper smiled at me. H's voice was encouraging. "Great fight," he called, "Bella, you can release Alice now. I think you learned your lesson."

I released my shield and felt it snap back into my body, reverberating.

Alice hugged me excitedly. "You did great, Bella. You realized your advantage quite quickly. This was so fun!"

I smiled at her. "Thank you." My voice sounded uncertain to my ears. I could not truly enjoy my so-called victory. Alice had beat me. It was only because she had waited for so long that I even realized that I still had a chance to beat her. And I only did because of my gift. Not because of my abilities.

Edward pulled me into his arms. Embracing me tightly. "I am so glad you can protect yourself so well." His breath tickled my ear as he whispered to me. "I wouldn't be strong enough to survive if you were to die. Promise me you will be safe."

"I promise." And I felt like I truly could. My shield made me untouchable. "But you must promise the same. I also wouldn't be strong enough to survive if you were to die."

"I promise to try my very best." He said, pressing his lips against my hair.

"Edward?" Jasper called. "You will fight Emmett next."

He sighed but removed himself from my arms.

I pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Go on. Finish him off."