Celebrations and Scars

Chapter 22: Celebrations and Scars

After school ended, the day seemed to fade into a blur for Bella. The sky turned dark, and Forks, as always, was immersed in the serenity of the night. Edward had taken her to the Cullens' house, and they were now in a large, elegantly decorated room, illuminated only by the dim light of a lamp.

In front of them hung an old painting, showing a group of figures in a marble room. They dressed in clothing from centuries past, their faces pale and solemn. The aura of power and authority they exuded was palpable, even through the canvas.

"They are the Volturi," Edward said quietly, pointing at the painting with a long, thin finger.

Bella frowned. He frowns, moving a little closer to the painting. The scene depicted three main figures, surrounded by other vampires. The way they were arranged, the posture, everything indicated that these people were not simple vampires, but the leaders of some kind of order.

—Vulturis? —Bella repeated, feeling a shiver run down her spine—. Who are they?

Edward crossed her arms and looked at her seriously. —They are the rulers of our world. They have existed longer than almost any other vampire family, and have long been the guardians of our laws. If a vampire breaks those laws... —Edward left the sentence hanging in the air, but Bella didn't need him to finish it to understand.

—What laws? Bella asked, frowning.

"The most important thing," Edward answered, "is the secret." Humans must not know of our existence. If anyone compromises that secret, the Volturi make sure the offender pays the price

Bella felt a knot form in her stomach, and her fear intensified. —And what would happen if they found out that I know about… this?

Edward sighed, approaching her. "Bella, I won't let them hurt you," he said, trying to calm her.

Edward took her hand, and although her face tried to remain calm, there was a shadow of pain in her eyes. "When I thought I'd lost you, when James hurt you... and I thought I wasn't going to make it in time..." Edward looked down, remembering how close he came to losing her. A plan emerged in my mind. If you had died, I would have gone to Italy and provoked the Volturi.

Bella looked at him in horror. —Provoke the Volturi? For what?

Edward looked at her with an intensity that left her speechless. —To be able to die. If you weren't there, I would have no reason to continue living.

Bella's breathing stopped for a moment. The thought of Edward doing something so extreme left her speechless. She wanted to protest, but before she could say anything, the door burst open and Alice appeared, interrupting the moment with her usual energy

"Come on, guys!" said Alice, smiling. It's time to go down. Everyone is ready to start the celebration.

Bella felt a wave of nerves as Alice disappeared as quickly as she had arrived. She looked at Edward, who smiled at her with that warmth that made her feel safe, and together they left the room.

Going downstairs, Bella noticed that the house was illuminated by soft lights, and that all the Cullens were present. ...except Rosalie. Edward squeezed her hand gently, as if he already knew what she was thinking. But, a few seconds later, Rosalie entered, her face imperturbable as always.

"Sorry, I was attending to some business," Rosalie said without further details.

Edythe, Edward's twin sister, smiled mischievously. —Affairs? Sure, sure... those things seemed very interesting.

Edward let out a small laugh, and Bella looked at them confused. It was clear that they both knew something that she didn't.

Rosalie, with an annoyed expression, looked at them out of the corner of her eye. "Stop reading my mind," she responded in a warning tone, although she couldn't help but blush slightly.

The awkwardness quickly faded as the Cullens began to hand Bella their gifts. Each one was more special than the last, but when it was Carlisle and Esme's turn for the gift, Bella cut herself a little when opening the package

A small drop of blood fell from her finger, and it all happened. in a flash. The sweet, tempting scent was too much for Jasper, who lunged at Bella with a voracious hunger, unable to contain himself.

Edward reacted in the blink of an eye, pushing Jasper with more force than necessary to protect him. Pretty. Jasper was thrown to the other side of the room, but in the process, Edward also accidentally pushed Bella, who fell onto a glass table, breaking it into pieces.

—Bella! Hers," Edward shouted, his eyes full of panic.

Bella stood up, her arm covered in small cuts from the broken glass. More blood. More danger.

Jasper growled, fighting the urge to attack, but Carlisle held him firmly. —Jasper, get out of here. Now," Carlisle said with impressive calm.

Meanwhile, Edward carefully lifted Bella, her face filled with anguish. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," he whispered as he held her.

Carlisle quickly approached, helping Bella with the wounds on her arm, while Esme guided Jasper out of the room.

Silence What followed was heavy and tense, and Bella could barely breathe with the fear latent in the air.

---

Shift of point of view to Ethan

Miles away, while Ethan was leaving his small secluded island, he could still feel on his skin the warmth of the last kiss he had shared with Rosalie before she left. The memory of her lips was etched in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile. Rosalie had managed to calm something inside him, a fury that consumed him from the very depths, from the moment his body began to change in ways that he himself did not yet fully understand.

After their intense session of kisses, Rosalie had to return to the Cullens to celebrate Bella's birthday. Ironically, Ethan had completely forgotten Bella's birthday, despite the relationship they had in the past. "I'll call her to congratulate her," he thought, although he knew that could lead to more complications than he was willing to face.

As he walked along the deserted beach, Ethan couldn't help but reflect on how much Rosalie meant to him. . She was his anchor, the only person who managed to appease the inner demons that plagued him every night. But he knew there was something else he was avoiding telling her. The nightmares that tormented him were not simple dreams. Every night, the image of the gigantic and bloodthirsty wolf returned, and the fear of losing control suffocated him

Ethan knew that if one day he stopped controlling his power, everything would end in the worst possible way. The beast he saw in his dreams... that beast was him. Even if he tried to deny it, even if he tried to fight it, he knew that something dark was stalking him from within.

As he ran in his wolf form, feeling the wind in his fur, he suddenly heard a deep, unknown voice echoing in his mind. It was low, almost ancient, and seemed to come from deep within the earth itself.

"It's time for testing," the voice said, as clear as if someone were speaking directly into his ear.

Ethan braked. dry, his muscles tensing immediately. -Evidence? —He asked out loud, looking around him.

Silence was his only response, but deep inside him, Ethan knew that he was not alone. Something else stalked him, something ancient, much older than him or any creature he had ever known. The very air seemed to carry the promise of challenges to come, trials that would test not only his strength, but her will and his control. And worst of all, he had no idea what awaited him, only that it would change him forever

Ethan felt a shiver run down his spine. He knew that things were about to get even more dangerous, and worst of all, he had no idea what awaited him.