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Last updated/edited 09/25/2024.

Third Person POV: Aro

Congratulations… Aro replayed the memory of his conversation with Astrid in his head as he left her suite. She had congratulated him on finding his mate. Had she not cared at all when she didn't realize 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 wanted time. Aro had barely been managing the mating pulls before now. How would he be able to give her more time apart?

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

Maybe this was God punishing him for his sins. Aro had always led with a firm hand and was cruel when necessary. It was a tragic fate that he would wait over three millennia to find a mate, and she would end up sending him away. Ironically, just about any vampire out there would have been absolutely thrilled to be mated to him. But now he had found his mate in a human, and she turned 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 towards the wall creating an explosion of woodchips on impact.

He heard the door open and turned, growling in warning 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 when you spoke to Astrid?" he said calmly.

"She turned me away when I told her about 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."

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, their bond would grow even stronger.

But that felt deceitful, Aro didn't want to take advantage of Astrid's instincts as a vampire. 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 from the servants and guards … They thought I was going to be their new queen. I shook my head in disbelief. I didn't have the slightest clue how to be a vampire's mate, let alone a queen of the supernatural.

My instincts told me I could trust Aro, but due to his gift I'd be forced to either share everything or continue avoiding him. 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 my eyes burned with tears.

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 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 kind and respectful so far. And I couldn't deny that I was drawn to him, it was worth at least giving 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 separated so far.

With my mind made up, 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 for the impending conversation. As I lifted my hand, I felt the vibration of a large thump 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!" 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 clenched his hand into a fist and lowered it.

"Aro…?" I asked, concern coating my words. Was he destroying his office because of our conversation?

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

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

"I'm sorry if I frightened you with my behavior. Don't worry, 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 intentionally?

"Aro" I whispered and approached him cautiously. He watched my approach but didn't move away. I gently took his hand between mine, feeling his skin, cold and smooth against mine. 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 I wasn't good enough for him, scared that I wasn't worthy of being a queen. But despite everything, 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 his mate, his queen.

Do you see? I thought to him.

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

"Bellissima" he whispered looking reverently into my eyes.

I instantly found myself lost in his ruby 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 gentle, but I could feel the passion flow through Aro as he deepened the kiss. My heart swelled and, in that moment, I felt something shift between us. I couldn't help but feel utterly content.

Time Skip

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

"Is it a date?" I asked him bashfully.

"Do you want it to 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 invited them in anyway. We settled on the couches 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 Aro would get so upset, I wouldn't have left him alone." I said thinking back to the destruction 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." 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 ever leave without him, we wouldn't want him to send out a search party, now would we?" 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 over 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 just 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 crazy vampire 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 queue." Didyme said, and they bid me farewell for the night.