𝑬𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒆

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝟐𝟒

As soon as Aro's fingers made contact with Didyme's hand, the air in the throne room seemed to shift. It became thick, almost suffocating, as if the very atmosphere recognized the gravity of the moment. Aro closed his eyes, his expression tight with concentration. Silence filled the room, each second stretching unbearably for Aveline as she stood still, her heart pounding in her chest.

When Aro's eyes finally opened, they locked onto Marcus, and his voice was soft but certain. "It is her," he announced, a strange mix of wonder and relief in his tone. "It's truly Didyme."

The tension in the room broke, but not in a way Aveline had hoped for. The looks on their faces—Aro, Caius, the guard—all began to change. They were different now. Cold. Indifferent toward her. Even Marcus, who had only moments ago been so full of emotion, turned distant. Aveline felt it before she saw it, the shift in their demeanor like a knife twisting in her gut. Something was terribly wrong here, but she didn't know exactly what.

"There's no need for a coronation anymore," Aro continued smoothly. "Didyme already had hers." His voice was gentle, almost patronizing.

Aveline's heart clenched painfully at the words. She tried to hold onto her composure, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her. "What about me?" she asked, trying to fake the confidence that was rapidly slipping away.

Marcus didn't even look at her. "You're no longer needed," he said, his tone flat, as if her presence had become nothing more than an inconvenience. Aveline's world tilted as Didyme giggled softly beside him, her laughter grating against the raw wound that Marcus' indifference had just opened.

Aro smiled sweetly, as though none of this was out of the ordinary. Caius smirked, his arms crossed, while the guards exchanged disinterested glances. Everyone had turned against her in an instant, as if her existence had suddenly lost all meaning. It was odd. Terrifyingly so.

"She will be queen now, Aveline," Marcus said with patronizing calmness. "I ask you not to fight it."

Aveline shook her head, struggling to process the betrayal clawing at her. Not fight it? She could barely breathe as she forced herself to speak. "If you really cared about me," she said, her voice breaking, "you wouldn't be doing this to me."

The weight of her words hit hard, but before she could retreat into silence, Marcus' response came, cold as ice.

"If you really cared about me, you'd do what I'm asking."

The room went silent. Aveline's blood ran cold. The weight of his words, their cruel indifference, crushed her.

"What did you just say?" Her voice trembled, the shock still rippling through her. She wanted to believe she had misheard. But the silence that followed, the vacant looks on their faces, confirmed her worst fears.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!?" she screamed, her rage boiling over. The betrayal was so sharp, so sudden, that she felt like she might explode from the pain of it. How could Marcus, her true mate, say something so heartless? How could he be so cruel?

Tears burned at the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She turned away, her heart hammering in her chest, every instinct telling her to run—to get away.

She stormed toward the grand doors of the throne room, her footsteps echoing in the silence. When she reached them, she threw the heavy doors open with such force that they slammed against the walls. She didn't look back.

Aveline walked away, feeling her heart breaking with each step. She waited—hoped—that Marcus would stop her, that he would call out, come after her, anything. But the silence that followed her departure was deafening.

He let her go.

He.

Let.

Aveline.

Go.

Aveline stormed into her room, her heart pounding. She grabbed a black crossbody bag and stuffed it with essentials—just what she needed to get by. I'll buy anything else later, she thought. She paused for a moment, her senses prickling. Something was off. There was a slight noise just outside her quarters, causing her to freeze. Her body instinctively shifted into a defensive stance, ready for whatever came next.

The door suddenly burst open, and three figures rushed in, their faces filled with panic—her parents and Santiago. All wore expressions of fear and urgency.

"We've got to go," Heidi said, her voice tight with alarm.

Without hesitation, Vladimir hurriedly opened the balcony doors. "This was Stefan's plan all along," he muttered, his words fueling Aveline's confusion.

Before she could ask, she followed their lead, vaulting over the balcony railing and dropping swiftly to the ground. Heidi, Vladimir, and Santiago landed gracefully behind her. They wasted no time moving away from the castle.

"What did you mean by that, Dad?" Aveline finally asked, catching up to Vladimir, who was now leading them away from Volterra.

"Stefan found three vampires who could guarantee his victory. Just three!" Vladimir rambled, his voice laced with disbelief and frustration.

Heidi chimed in, her voice steady despite the chaos. "What your father means is that Stefan only needed three vampires to take over the Volturi: a shapeshifter, a mind shield, and a close-range mind-control vampire. They infiltrated the Volturi before the main attack."

Aveline's brow furrowed. "Like me?"

Santiago nodded, jumping in to explain. "Yes, except you're far stronger. You can penetrate through mental shields, and your control works both long-distance and close-range. But this vampire was strong enough to control the kings and guards who don't have a mental shield."

"So how are you here?" Aveline asked, glancing at Santiago and her parents.

Heidi answered this time, "We were all together when it happened. Stefan infiltrated the castle and made sure to separate us, especially your father, so he couldn't stretch his mind shield to protect anyone else. Vladimir barely managed to shield our minds, and we headed straight for your room."

Aveline's mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. "If they infiltrated the Volturi with a close-range mind controller, couldn't they have just killed the kings? Why hasn't Stefan taken over already?"

Her question hung in the air, heavy with dread. They all tensed, the silence suffocating. Vladimir finally turned, his expression grave.

"He wants you, Aveline."