Red Room ₪ Breaking Dawn Fanfiction

𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐫

Chapter Twenty-Four —— 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐖𝐚𝐫

The culmination of love is grief, yet we open our hearts to it, despite the inevitable... To grieve deeply is to have loved fully.

Another day, another fight with Kayla. At this point, I was seriously starting to think the only thing stopping me from committing murder was the promise I made to Embry, not to mention the fact that my blood pressure couldn't handle another outburst. My body might've been making a whole human life, but that didn't mean I had the patience of a saint.

I could feel the tension in the air before I even walked into the room. Kayla stood in the corner, arms folded, wearing that condescending expression like she had something important to say, something smarter, better, or more valid than anything anyone else could think of. Embry stood between us, like usual, trying to be Switzerland. And it wasn't working.

"Althea," Kayla said, voice dripping in that fake-sweet tone she reserved just for me, "you need to start thinking about what's best for the baby."

Oh, hell no.

I stepped forward, jaw clenched, hands trembling not from fear but from the sheer will it was taking not to throw something. Probably her.

"Listen here, Kayla," I said, voice low and sharp, "the only thing keeping me from beating your ass right now is Embry and the fact that I respect him. But if you keep acting like my baby belongs to you, I swear to everything holy and unholy, I will show you why they call me the Goddess of War."

Leah stood up immediately. So did Bella. They knew what that tone meant. Hell, even Jacob stood and moved in front of Kayla like she needed protection from me. That alone made my blood boil hotter. Kayla had pushed me. Hard.

Embry looked so torn I thought he might split in two. His eyes kept darting between Kayla and me, silently pleading with one of us or both of us to be the bigger person. But I was tired of being the bigger person. I'd been quiet long enough, for the sake of peace, for the sake of him.

"Why can't you just talk to Kayla?" Emily said suddenly, stepping in like her opinion had weight. "She's an imprint."

I turned slowly. "Stay out of it, Emily."

Sam's voice came next, calm but commanding. "Emily. Althea is an elder. You don't want to end up in front of the council for disrespecting one."

Emily's mouth snapped shut. But she glared at me, and I could feel the heat behind her jealousy. I saw it clearly, even if she tried to hide it behind that sweet imprint smile she wore like armor.

Leah was pregnant. I was pregnant. Bella had a daughter. We had everything she believed she was promised. As if imprinting was supposed to gift-wrap your life and guarantee a fairytale.

I stepped forward, practically trembling from the fire running through my veins.

"You know what? Maybe I should bring this to the council," I said. "Let them know you've been poisoning the imprints against pack members."

Emily blinked. "I—"

"You thought being an imprint made you special," I went on, voice rising, "and now that you're seeing it doesn't hold any weight, you're lashing out at me. Newsflash, bitch there is no such thing as a perfect life!"

And with that, I slammed my hand down on Sam's dining table and it split right down the middle with a deep, echoing crack.

Silence.

I stared down at the broken wood, chest heaving, then looked at Sam with a sigh. "I'll buy you a new one," I said simply and turned on my heel.

Leah, Bella, and Quil followed me out, none of them saying a word at first. The cool air hit my face like a slap, but it felt good. Like control.

"You need to get laid," Leah muttered beside me.

"Leah!" Bella hissed, scandalized.

"What?" Leah shrugged. "At least let Edward calm her down."

"If he couldn't do anything with Bella until they were married," Quil chimed in, "he sure as hell isn't doing anything with Althea."

"Technically," Bella said thoughtfully, "being an imprint is basically being married."

I stopped and turned, blinking at her. "You want me to sleep with your soon-to-be ex-husband while I'm pregnant with another man's baby?"

"I want you to be happy," Bella said without hesitation. "Just like you always wanted me to be."

God, Bella. Always pulling the rug out from under me with her honesty.

Later that evening, after I cooled down enough to walk without smoke coming out of my ears, I made my way to the Cullen house. I didn't even make it through the door before Alice was in my way, practically vibrating.

"I saw it!" she said, eyes shining. "You in a white dress—Edward in a tux—"

"Alice," I warned.

She pouted.

"Give it up," I said, brushing past her.

Behind her, Jasper chuckled like he was used to this dance.

"Fine," Alice huffed. "He's upstairs."

I climbed the stairs and knocked lightly on Edward's door. It opened before I could finish the second knock.

"One of these days, she's going to get us in a tux and gown," Edward said, half amused, half exasperated.

I chuckled. "I will not be a pregnant bride."

He stepped aside, letting me into the room. It was dark, dimly lit by the moonlight filtering through the window, and smelled like old books and cedarwood.

"I had a day," I said.

"You don't say," he replied, motioning for me to sit on the edge of the bed.

So I told him. Everything. Kayla's arrogance. Emily's venom. The jealousy, the way it poured out of her eyes like she had any right to feel betrayed by life. How I was one more sharp word away from turning Forks into a crater.

He sat quietly as I spoke, his face unreadable, but his presence grounded me more than I expected.

When I finished, I sighed. "I hate feeling like I'm always fighting. I didn't want this pregnancy to feel like a warzone."

Edward's voice was soft. "You're not alone in it, Thea."

I turned to him. "You sure about that? It feels like I'm raising a baby in the middle of a soap opera written by vampires and werewolves."

He laughed. "That's fair."

I leaned my head against his shoulder, exhaling.

"Do you think it'll ever settle?" I asked.

He was quiet for a moment before answering. "Maybe not. But I think the people who matter, the ones worth fighting for, they'll stay. Even when it's messy."

I looked up at him, searching for something, hope, maybe. Security. His eyes held both.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For being my safe place, even when I'm not very safe to be around."

He smiled, brushing a lock of hair from my face. "The goddess of war needs somewhere to lay down her sword, too."

And for once, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, I didn't have to do it all alone.