I had a fun little crisis earlier, because I realized I screwed up in terms of chapters. I was writing a completely different point of view. Well, the thing was I didn't account for the last two chapters when I planned it (because those two chapters were completely unexpected), and so there was no proper transition to this. So I had to rearrange that and this chapter to make it make sense. But on the plus side, because of that- the next chapter is almost completed with about a couple hundred more words left so the next chapter will be up tomorrow or Tuesday.

Caius POV

I honestly had no idea how to apologize to Bella for my actions, or even where to begin. That was the most infuriating part. How does one apologize to their mate? The thought of her hating me was unbearable, and the sting of rejection from the mating bond made it all the worse.

I just wanted to fix everything.

Trying to make amends seemed like it was going to be much harder than I'd anticipated. Mainly because I hadn't seen Bella since she walked away. Sure, I could have traced to where she was by following her scent or the rhythm of her heartbeat, but I'd chosen to give her space for the time being. She'd been through so much that I didn't want to overwhelm her. The last thing I needed was to be compared to that foolish boy.

Well that, and I've simply never apologized to anyone before.

And to make matters worse, Aro insisted on having the trial first thing in the morning. It left me with no time to try and find her to even attempt to make her see my perspective, whatsoever. Besides, she would learn her position soon enough- learn the respect that was owed. Even if it meant by allowing the guards to handle those who defied her. They already loved her and would do anything for her- so what was a little more?

The thought made me smirked; Aro looked at me over his shoulder, probably curious on what amused me. I didn't indulge him; he'd find out soon if the Cullens dared to push the disrespect any further than they already had.

Seated on my throne, I waited a little impatiently for the trial to begin. I would rather get this over with than wait anymore. I wanted to see that boy dead. Besides, most of the guards were already present (save for a few), as were the queens. Surprisingly, Athenodora even attended (although I just assumed it was because she wanted justice to be served), and so were the Cullens. They looked out of place compared to the discipline that the guards held.

Finally, Edward was escorted in, chains binding his wrists. Felix and Demetri flanked him, forcing him to kneel before Aro and ensuring he stayed in place. Yet, Bella was still absent.

Moments later, Jane and Corin entered with her. They seemed to have taken a liking to her, though Bella's expression revealed nothing. She was led to stand before my throne, where I had a clear view of her—but she refused to even glance in my direction. Her indifference stung.

Once everyone was accounted for, the trial began.

"Aro." Marcus extended his hand for Aro to take.

Aro gladly took Marcu's, indulging in whatever made Marcus share. Aro's eyes flickered towards Edward and Bella, but whatever it was- he wasn't going to be saying it aloud. I would have to ask him about that later.

"Bella, will you tell us when you first found out about us?" Aro began, his voice sounding polite.

Bella hesitated and after a couple of seconds, explained in a weak manner, "My friend, Jacob Black, who lives on the reservation told me some of their legends a couple of months after I came to Forks. He told me that werewolves-"

"Werewolves?" I interrupted sharply, my voice sounding cold as my hands tightened on the throne's armrests.

If the Children of the Moon was possibly involved in whatever Bella was saying, then the situation was graver than I thought. I wanted to tear that boy into pieces, let him build himself back together again and then start the process all over again if that was true. Such an alliance with them- was a grave offense. That there could be a pack of them in Forks and that Aro didn't inform of this was infuriating.

Bella looked up at me for a brief second, before looking back down. During that brief second, her face remained impassive but the pain in her eyes was obvious. I felt the urge to go down there and comfort her, to assure her that everything would be okay, but I resisted it. It wouldn't help to interrupt the trial and I was sure that Bella didn't want any part of me, whatsoever.

"Shapeshifters," Bella corrected herself quickly, "They turn into men at will. It just happens that the form they take on while shifting is a wolf. He explained that the shapeshifters have a natural enemy with the cold ones- vampires. He also said that the Cullens were pretty much the same from when his great grandfather encountered them. From there, it was easy to connect the dots," She bit her lip nervously.

"Easy to connect the dots?" Aro pressed, his curiosity evident, "Were they being conspicuous about our existence?"

This was a question I wanted an answer, too. If the Cullens dared to jeopardize our existence- although, what it sounded like it was just Edward- than they would have to pay the consequences. I didn't care if they were Aro's friends or not- clearly, they enjoyed flaunting their existence to humans.

I didn't miss the dirty look that Edward had given me as a response.

"In a way," Bella said. "They tried gaslighting me at first. Once, I was almost hit by a van that skidded on ice. Edward, who was across the parking lot, got to me within a second before it crushed my legs. He managed to stop the van and left handprint indents on both of the vehicles. It was obvious to me that there was something to them that they weren't quite human."

"How did you piece everything together from those two events?"

"I researched about vampires," Bella shrugged. "Jacob's hint about the Cullens and the way Edward saved me, there was only one explanation. EVerything started to match from what the internet told me, but they were simply my suspicions. It wasn't until Edward saved me from those creeps in Port Angels that he confirmed my suspicions."

Aro questioned Bella further, drawing out details about the Cullens and why they left, her encounter with Victoria's nomadic tribe- and her encounter with James and Edward's decision to prevent her transformation. I frowned at that; it was a blatant violation of our laws. Humans who knew about us either had to be turned by those who told them, or silence them permanently. And of course, Edward's decision about leaving her in that damned forest. It painted a damning picture for him.

Aro seemed satisfied by questioning Bella, and turned his attention to Edward. His question was deliberate: "Edward, were you ever planning on giving her immortality?"

I sat up in my seat- curious about what the answer was going to be. It didn't seem like he was from my understanding, but I understood what was going in Aro's brain. He wanted Edward to vocalize it for everyone to hear:

He gritted his teeth, "No."

Aro smile was thin, but before he could respond, Bella interrupted him,

"Can I go now?" Her voice was quiet and she just sounded like she was done with everything.

She looked rather uncomfortable to be there as she shifted her weight from one leg to another, and not bothered to look at any of us, least of all me. The pain was prominent in her eyes.

"Yes, of course, Isabella," Aro told her.

Bella left the room, without saying anything else. Once she was gone, the rhythm of her heartbeat increased and sobs were starting to be heard. She was crying again. The worst part was- I was stuck there, unable to comfort her, if she even wanted me in the first place.

"Join or die, is that it?" Edward spat bitterly, breaking the silence that seemed to gather in the room after Bella left.

Aro returned his attention back to Edward and replied in a calm tone, "You broke the law by telling our secrecy to a human and then left her alone, with no plans to turn her into one of us. As a result, we give you the option- we either kill you or you join us."

"I'd rather die," He admitted, looking at the floor and looking towards the Cullens next. I studied them for their reactions, but if they had any protests- they didn't show it.

Aro sighed, probably upset about losing a valuable gift like Edward's. He always hated to deal with those. Although, if you asked me- Aro was being far too generous. Inviting him to join, how preposterous to even think of that. He already broke too many laws, dealing with our existence and letting him live? What would our enemies think of that?

A guard handed him the lit torch and without hesitation, Aro ignited Edward on fire. At least, the brat was dead.

As the flames consumed the brat, I decided to leave the room. It was clear that the trial was over, and there was no point in sticking around. Besides, I had my own issues to deal with- mainly, trying to figure out how to apologize to Bella.