To Love or To Destroy [TWILIGHT]

Realization

[Selene's POV]

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. The Cullens and I were all exhausted from the chase last night. Emmett wouldn't talk much either—I reckon his pride must've been wounded. I was drowning in my own thoughts again. Yesterday, as I was in close proximity with Victoria, I could almost smell his scent. The familiar smell of bergamot and cinnamon. But that was impossible—I had almost given up on finding him. As far as I knew, no one had seen or heard from him and I was already starting to slowly—very slowly give up.

I didn't tell anyone—after all, I was probably just hallucinating, I kept telling myself. I must've just missed him, that was all. I sighed as I stared at the ceiling. Although I hated Victoria, I was a little grateful to her for giving me such a distraction. Lately it seemed distractions were all it took for me to stop thinking about Riley for a little.

My throat tingled, signaling that I was getting thirsty. I sighed, stepping out of my room. I rounded a corner when I heard the Cullens arguing. Suddenly, a whiff of blood enveloped my senses as I spotted Bella, Edward's mate. I winced slightly. Why was she here, now of all times? I was already feeling thirsty. Noticing me by the corner, Alice beckoned for me to come closer.

"I-I think I need to hunt," I said, keeping my eyes on Bella. "Don't worry, I have some animal blood in the fridge. Just get some—you need to be present for this discussion," Carlisle explained.

I nodded, grateful as I opened the packet from the fridge and poured myself a glass. Once satisfied that I wouldn't be attacking Bella, they continued the discussion. "There was someone in Bella's room. A vampire. I picked up on his scent when I walked in," Edward explained.

I knitted my brows together, "Victoria?" I asked. Edward shook his head, "No, it was someone else's scent. I couldn't recognize it. He might've been a passerby."

"It wasn't just a passerby. If it were, it wouldn't have left Bella's father alive," Rosalie reasoned. Jasper looked worried, "His scent disappeared about five miles south of Bella's."

Everyone gave Bella grave looks, worried for her safety. I guess that was the problem with dating a human, I thought. She was always the target amongst our kind.

"What if it was the Volturi?" Alice shook her head, dismissing the idea. "It wasn't the Volturi, I would've seen them. I've been watching Aro's decisions."

The Cullens and Bella debated back and forth on how to keep her protected—with Rosalie grumbling about how she needed another "protection detail." Eventually, after lots of debating back and forth, they decided on forging an uneasy alliance with the wolves.

It wasn't easy, but it could very well be the solution we all needed. "Who are the Volturi?" I asked, thinking back to one of their list of suspects. Carlisle gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "The Volturi are a very old, very powerful family. The thing they value above all is the law. I lived with them for a couple centuries. I left because I found their methods to be quite.. inhumane."

I shivered, not knowing that there were another kind of vampires—more dangerous than ones like Victoria. "What is Alice watching their decisions for?" I asked, remembering what she said.

"A few months back, they struck a deal with Edward and Bella. If we would convert Bella into a vampire, they wouldn't kill Edward," Alice explained. I nodded, there were so many things that happened when I wasn't around. I had never even heard of the Volturi before. Bella was in much more danger than I had previously suspected.

[Riley POV]

My temper was starting to ignite as I watched the scattered vampires around the junkyard. They had caused quite a mess, feeding whenever they pleased. They were vicious, and hard to tame. Nevertheless, they were growing in numbers—which was exactly what Victoria had wanted.