CHAPTER 37

( Same Night - Third Pov )

"So, that's it? That's why he won't change me?" Bella asked, while staring at Carlisle, who had just finished tending to her wound.

"Imagine if it were reversed, and you lived in the same situation as Edward does. Would you take away his soul?" Carlisle asked as he set the blood-soaked towel on fire. Bella could only remain silent, and she had a complex expression on her face.

Carlisle then said, "Go home and rest, Edward will take you home."

A few moments later, Edward and Bella entered the living room to find only Mikael and Alice present. The rest of the Cullens were nowhere to be seen.

Bella looked at Mikael and said, "Thanks for earlier, Mikael."

Mikael simply nodded while smiling, then Alice stood up and approached Bella. She hugged Bella and said, "I'm sorry for earlier. You must have been scared."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about Alistair anymore, right? Edward?" Mikael nodded slightly at Edward.

"Yeah... Thank you, Mikael," Edward answered with no expression in his voice whatsoever.

'Looks like he has already made up his mind,' Mikael thought.

"It's okay, Alice, and thank you for the gift," Bella said after the two shared a hug.

Alice smiled, then hugged her again and said, "Take care, okay?"

Bella nodded, and after bidding farewell, Edward took her home. Meanwhile, Mikael and Alice continued cuddling and enjoying each other's company. 

While they were cuddling, Carlisle and Esme appeared. Carlisle smiled at Mikael and expressed his gratitude again, "Thank you again, Mikael. I know it must be difficult for you to hold back."

Mikael smiled and shook his head, "It's alright, I'm fully in control of myself. My only intention was to threaten him and make him speak. But, you interfered and there goes Alistair."

"Make him speak? About what?" Carlisle asked, his tone filled with confusion. Esme, too, appeared perplexed.

"Carlisle, do you really not get suspicious of Alistair? Do you really trust him?" Mikael asked.

"Yes, I trust him..." Carlisle said with a thoughtful tone.

"Do you not find it strange that he suddenly appeared here in Forks?"

"Why did he specifically come here when he could have gone somewhere else that was closer to the Canadian border?"

"I did find it strange at first when he appeared. Usually, I was the one who was looking for him if we ever wanted to meet. But maybe, it's just a coincidence?" Carlisle said.

Mikael sighed and said, "There's no such thing as coincidence, Carlisle. It's either fate... or planned."

"Planned? But who could have planned it so well that they could make Alistair do their bidding?" Carlisle said with a confused tone. In his life, Alistair isn't the type of person to follow orders unless it is a request from his friend or there is something that benefits him.

"That's what I wanted to find out earlier, but... you know what happened," Mikael sighed again while rubbing Alice's back, as they were still in a cuddling position.

"But what could have made him interested enough to accept their offer?" Carlisle questioned himself.

"Hmm... what's his biggest ambition or desire?" Mikael asked him.

"Nothing that I know of. But he's really determined to avoid the Volturi's line of sight. He is always on the run from them, and because of it, every time we met, it was only for less than five hours," Carlisle said. Then he suddenly came to a realization, "Could it be..."

"Protection... he wants them to protect him from the Volturi," Mikael suddenly said with a serious tone.

"Protection? But who's strong enough to compete with the Volturi?" Alice asked, her tone filled with surprise. The same applies to Carlisle and Esme.

...

While Mikael and the Cullens were asking themselves questions, we see Edward and Bella pulling up to her house. They stay in the truck for a moment, and there is a brief silence between them.

"You can't protect me... from everything. At some point, something is going to separate us," Bella is the first one to break the silence between them.

"It's going to be an accident or illness, old age, as long as I'm human. And the only solution is to change me."

"That's not a solution... that's a tragedy," Edward said with a blank expression on his face.

"You won't want me in the future when I look like a grandma if you don't change me," Bella said while looking at her fingers.

Edward stopped the engine, then got out of the truck, went around, and opened her door. He said with a serious tone, "Bella, do you not understand my feelings at all?"

"Carlisle told me... how you feel about your soul," Bella replied.

"I don't believe that, so don't worry about me."

"You should go inside," Edward said in an emotionless tone.

But Bella went closer to him and said, "It's still my birthday... can I ask for something?"

Edward stared at her, and then she said, "Kiss me?"

Their faces moved closer and closer until they kissed each other, but Edward had a pained expression on his face while they were kissing. After that, they said, "I love you" to each other, and Edward went home.

...

"I know some covens that are more powerful than them, but that was in the past before the Volturi rose to power," Carlisle said with a pensive look.

"Can you name some of them?" Mikael asked.

"The Romanian, The Egyptian, and many more," Suddenly Edward, who had just arrived, answered his question.

"Oh, welcome back," Mikael said, smiling, but Edward focused his gaze on Carlisle.

Carlisle, who noticed his gaze, asked, "What's wrong, Edward?"

"Carlisle, we have to leave..." Edward said with a pained expression.

"What did you just say?!" Alice suddenly stood up and said in an angry tone. However, Mikael calmed her down by placing his hand on her waist.

"Carlisle, please... I don't want the same thing to happen to Bella again. I don't want to put her in danger because of us..." said Edward with a guilty expression.

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TAKING A BREAK FOR THE MONTH - I'm sorry...

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