Dark Descendant

Prologue

Dedicated to the person who made my lovely new cover :)

Okay so this is the start of the maybe sequel to New Beginnings, please read the authors note at the end :).

Breathing deeply I close my eyes and attempt to settle the butterflies in my ever expanding stomach. Okay that's a bit of an exaggeration because right now it is hard to tell that I'm pregnant at all, especially considering I am only one month into it. So far it is mine and Dylan's little secret. But after I make my speech that will all change and everyone waiting in the room downstairs will know. Most people will be so happy, of course, but there will be a few people with conflicting opinions. I know Elle will be overjoyed at the news, possibly the happiest to hear it, but she'll also be disappointed that I hadn't told her sooner. She wont make it obvious, of course, but it will be there in her eyes, this is a big secret to keep from your best friend and I'm not even going to start on how Drake will react, my parents will just be in shock plain and simple, they still have those old fashion views about sex... and marriage should be before it.

A sudden knock on the door startles me back to the real world and I glance into the mirror, the same one I looked in four years ago for my big eighteenth that set the wheels in motion for this day. This is the first time I had been back in my room for a few years and everything was just the way I had left it... except tidier. Stroking my stomach I call for the person behind the door to enter.

Elle sticks her head into the room beaming from ear to ear a vision in baby blue, her eyes scan my body taking in my appearance and I quickly remove my hands from my stomach, the tell tale sign of pregnancy. For once she doesn't have Mary stuck to her hip, so Drake must be on babysitting duties.

"You ready to go? It's time." I nod my head and we begin making our way towards the main hall of the Clayton pack house, images of my eighteenth flood through my head and I hope that today goes better than that. I know I'm doing the right thing because I have never felt more sure of anything in my life but a girl is still allowed to be nervous right? I'm panicking a little, I know women do this at much younger ages than me, but still I can't help but think I'm too young for this, I'm only twenty-two! I shake my head of such thoughts that's just the nerves you get before it becomes official, before it really becomes a part of your life.

"Smile Bella you aren't going to slaughter." She laughs, I fake a laugh back but it's a horrible noise and she gives me a sceptical look and a hug.

Walking a few steps in front of me Elle exerts the confidence that I wish I had, especially right now, she has a posture that even the Queen would be proud of, where I can feel my shoulders slumping slightly... how attractive. Elle throws open the grand doors at the top of those tall sweeping stairs and slowly descends as I straighten my back and walk into the spotlight.

After only a brief moment of everyone looking at Elle, attention is on me, all eyes follow my progress down the marble staircase, as always I find being in the spotlight unnerving but I hold my head up high, and resist the urge to turn and run, as people I know and even people I don't judge me. Shaking with nervous I manage to get to the bottom of the stairs without seriously injuring myself and look up straight into the eyes of Dylan, suddenly everything is okay, my nerves that had been the predominate emotion since this morning are chased from my body and replaced with just a warmth, he has that effect on me. Locking onto his gaze I make my way towards him, absently nodding my head in greeting to people around the room, not really paying attention to who they actually are. The room is silent except for one well known piano piece which flows steadily. With the strangers located at the back of the room I advance towards the more familiar faces of my pack, some members of Dylan's pack, my parents, Drake, Elle, Eric, Trey, Dan and Drake's parents, even Elle's grandfather and finally being able to smile I take my place in front of the alter next to a grinning Dylan, the love in his eyes gives me all the confidence I need to say the words 'I do'.