Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.

Author's Note:

Please follow, favorite, and review!

Last updated/edited 03/12/2024.

Third Person POV: Aro

Congratulations… Aro replayed the memory of his conversation with Astrid in his head as he left Astrid's room. She had congratulated him on finding his mate. Had she not cared at all even though she hadn't realized it was her? He had tried to guide her to the truth, but she had not been willing to come to the most obvious conclusion. And now she needed time. Aro had barely been managing the pulls of the mating bond before now, how would he be able to give her distance?

As an ancient and powerful vampire, Aro knew their bond would be that much stronger and more difficult to manage if they were seperated. Everything in him called to stay with Astrid, to protect her, to claim her, and mark her as his.

Maybe God was punishing him for his sins. Aro had always led with a firm hand and was cruel when necessary. It was ironic that he would wait over three millennia to find a mate, and she would end up sending him away.

He flashed across the hall to his now repaired office and restarted the demolition. He smashed his fist down through the bookshelves, watching as debris and paper flew around him. Then he charged the back wall, feeling satisfied as a large crack split through the stone. Then he picked up his new desk and launched it at the wall creating an explosion of woodchips on impact.

He heard the door open and turned, growling threateningly at the intruder. Of course, it was his brother Marcus, they had sent in the peacekeeper of the group to talk him down.

"Aro, please, would you calm down and tell me what happened with Astrid?" he said calmly.

"She turned me away when I told her of our bond." Aro replied.

"I don't believe that Aro. Your bond is much brighter on her side now, if she turned you away then it's only temporary. You know that although she seems to feel the bond pull as a human, she cannot feel it to the extent that you can."

Aro didn't reply and continued his rampage.

"If you're truly worried that she will deny you… you could just turn her now."

Aro knew that Marcus was right, if he turned Astrid then the mating bond would solidify on her side. She wouldn't be able to fight the pull towards him as a vampire. And her human memories would be hazy at best, so she may not recall her traumatic experience with him rushing her inside the throne room. Not to mention, if he sired her and trained her through her newborn year then their bond would be that much stronger.

But that felt deceitful, Aro didn't want to take advantage of Astrid's instincts. He wanted her to love him with or without the influence of their bond.

"Leave." Aro told him. Marcus sighed and reluctantly left Aro alone to continue destroying his office.

First Person POV: Astrid

Everything made sense now... Aro trying to save me from the throne room, the queens spending so much quality time with me, the imposing crest I was given to wear, and the formality that the servants and guards kept using with me… They thought I was going to be their queen. I shook my head in disbelief. I didn't have the slightest clue how to be Aro's mate, let alone a queen of vampires.

As much as my instincts told me I could trust Aro, I wouldn't ever be able to touch him without sharing my every thought. Could I handle that kind of transparency? My entire life so far would be exposed all at once… He'd see how I was bullied through elementary school, how I struggled to make friends until I met Eva and Becca. He would see the night that they died driving home from the beach. He would witness my self-loathing as I was told by family and doctors alike that I was delusional, all because I knew my memories of that night were real.

I pressed my palms against my eyes as I cried softly.

On top of everything, I had never even been in a serious relationship before. I couldn't be the soulmate Aro that he deserved; I just didn't know how...

But Aro told me that mates were perfect for each other. I sighed, I didn't know if I would ever live up to Aro's expectations, but he'd been sweet and respectful so far. And I couldn't deny that I was drawn to him, it was worth it to at least give the relationship a chance.

He said that separation between mates caused them pain, I wondered if he was hurting right now, if he had been hurting the whole time while we had been seperated so far.

With my mind firmly set, I swiftly exited my suite, flanked by my guards, and walked over to Aro's office.

I stood in front of the doors for a moment, preparing myself to knock. As I lifted my hand, I felt a low vibration coming from inside the room. Suddenly feeling worried, I slipped through the door into his office to check if he was okay.

Aro punched through the stone wall and roared "I told you to leave me!" Then he instantly froze as the words left his mouth and spun around. He darted in front of me faster than my eyes could follow and lifted his hand to touch my cheek. Just before he made contact, he clutched his hand into a fist and lowered it.

"Aro…?" I asked cautiously. Had he destroyed his office because of our conversation?

"Astrid, Gods, I'm so sorry, I… I didn't know it was you." He apologized. "I can't seem to do anything right around you."

He stepped away from me and continued to speak without leaving me any room to interject.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you with my behavior. Don't worry though, I understand if you want me to stay away from you."

He had told me that separation between mates caused pain. Did he think I was so cruel as to let him suffer purposefully?

"Aro" I whispered and approached him cautiously. I gently took his hand between mine, feeling the coldness of his smooth skin on mine. I wanted him to know that although I was scared, I would give this a try. I was terrified he wouldn't want me after seeing the details of my life, but I was willing to take the risk regardless. I watched his eyes glaze over as he absorbed my memories and focused on the thought process I'd followed earlier.

I was scared that he would judge me for my past, scared that he'd change his mind about me, scared that I wasn't worthy of being a queen. But despite all that, I would try. I felt connected to him despite our limited interactions. I thought about how he'd kept from touching me to maintain my privacy. How he'd given me space when I'd needed it even though the separation hurt him. How he looked at me like I was the only one in the room. And God was he easy on the eyes… That sure didn't hurt. I would try to be the queen he deserved.

Do you see? I thought to him.

"Yes, angelo mio" he replied. I flushed at the pet name, and he cupped my cheek, stroking my cheek softly with his thumb.

"Bellissima" he whispered looking reverently into my eyes.

As I lost myself in his bright red eyes. The look he was giving me had me yearning to kiss him, but I was too shy to initiate. Hearing my thoughts, Aro moved his hands, threading his fingers into my hair and leaned in to kiss me. The kiss started softly, but I could feel the passion flow through Aro as he deepened the kiss further. My heart swelled and, in that moment, I felt something substantial shift between us. I couldn't help but feel utterly content.

Time Skip

After an afternoon spent together, Aro dropped me off at my room and told me to prepare for a night out tomorrow.

"Is this a date?" I asked him shyly.

"Do you want it be?" He replied with a teasing smile, and I blushed.

"I love how you blush…" he said as he trailed his fingertips gently across my cheek and under to my chin. He knew what I wanted, and I was glad not to have to voice it.

He gently pushed my chin up and placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Sleep well, piccola." he told me.

Not long after Aro left, Athenadora and Didyme stopped by my suite. I had been getting ready for bed but waved them in. We all sat together in the sitting room.

"So, I heard that you agreed to let my older brother court you." Didyme said with a grin.

"I did and I'm sorry for what happened earlier. If I had known that Aro would get so upset, I wouldn't have left him alone." I said thinking back to the mess in his office.

"Oh, don't worry, you'll learn soon enough that Aro is rather dramatic. I don't fault you." Didyme reassured me.

"Anyway, Aro never does anything small-scale so if he's going to court you, you'll need to be prepared. We'll stop by tomorrow to help get you ready for your date tomorrow." Athenadora said enthusiastically.

"Will we be leaving the castle?" I asked hopefully.

"No dear, but don't you worry, Aro will be taking you outside of the castle at night. As we said, you can leave the castle grounds as long as you stay with your guards and at least one member of our family. Oh, and you really ought to let Aro know if you leave without him, we wouldn't want him sending out a search party." I giggled; hopefully she was exaggerating but either way it was sweet to think that he would worry about me.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" I prompted. It seemed odd to me that Aro hadn't been in a relationship when I met him. As a king I was sure there were plenty of social climbers looking to claim him. I felt a stab of pain in my heart at the thought of him with someone else - had it really only been a few days since I first laid eyes on him?

"Of course, dear." They responded.

"Well, I know that Aro isn't currently in a relationship. And I just was wondering if he… I guess I… I'm just curious if…?" I stumbled through my words and Didyme put me out of my misery, clearly expecting the question that I wanted to ask.

"Aro did have a companion for some time in the early days of the Volturi. However, his companion, Sulpicia, eventually found her mate and left the castle. He was rather depressed after that - or as depressed as Aro is capable of being. Within the last millennium though? No, he hasn't been in a serious relationship. I think he just wanted to find his mate after waiting for so long. You should ask Aro if you want more of the details though. It's not really my place."

I sighed "I understand… I'm curious, but I know that I'm probably better off staying blissfully ignorant of his full history. Of course, that's as long as I don't have any jealous vampiric exes to dodge."

The girls laughed at that. "We would warn you, dear." Athenadora assured me.

I let out a yawn, realizing it was past my bedtime.

"Well, it looks like that's our que." Didyme said, and they bid me farewell for the night.