CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
PENANCE FOR THEIR CRIME

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ALEC DIDN'T KNOW WHAT to think when he saw Irina of the Denali Coven standing before Aro, Caius, and Marcus in the throne room. She had turned to face him and Jane as they arrived, her golden eyes shocking Alec. He immediately found himself thinking of Verona, of how her own eyes would shine bright when she laughed, how in the short time she spent with him, the hue never changed from fresh gold, showing just how important her diet was to her. Even thinking of her made Alec uncomfortable, his stone-cold heart twinging his chest. He missed her, even if he didn't want to admit it. When Jane told him that she called a couple of days ago, wanting to speak with him, he immediately wanted to call her back, just to hear her voice. But she'd left, she chose her family over him. So with a scowl, he pushed the image of her out of his head, shoving past Irina with a hiss. His sister shot him a knowing glance as she followed behind him, a look that he ignored as they took their positions beside their masters, who were staring down at Irina in a mixture of curiosity and annoyance.

"Well, what is it that you want?" Caius asked her with a frown. Irina was silent at first, hesitant. Alec tried his best to ignore her wide golden eyes as Demetri and Felix stepped closer to her, Caius giving a hum of impatience as she swallowed nervously. 

"I have to report a crime," she announced, moving closer to where the rulers were sitting. "The Cullens, they have done something terrible."

Alec shared a look with his sister as Aro flitted across the room, his initial disinterest for what Irina had come to share with them quickly changing into excitement. Meanwhile, dread was pooling in Alec's stomach at the mention of Verona's family. He and everyone else in the room knew that the Denali Coven were close to the Cullens. They called each other cousins, an alliance for some of the only vegetarian vampires in existence. So for Irina to be standing before them, nervous yet determined to report them, the Cullens must've done something absolutely abhorrent. Alec found himself fearing for Verona's life.

"Allow me, my dear," Aro offered Irina his hand, his eyes wide as she let him look into her thoughts. There was silence for a long moment, everyone waiting to hear what Aro had to say. Was what Irina had come to report as bad as she made it out to be? Before they knew it, Aro was letting out a sharp gasp, releasing Irina's hand and turning to face them - to face Alec - with his lips pursed and eyes burning in brewing fury. "Oh, my."

"What is it?" Caius asked, glancing between Irina and Aro curiously. "What have the Cullens done now, brother?"

"It seems that Alec's mate and her coven have created an immortal child."

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MEANWHILE, IN FORKS, WASHINGTON, Verona was sitting in the living room with everyone but Alice. Renesmee - who looked to be around five or six years old - was playing an elaborate tune that Edward had taught her on the piano, her father sitting beside her as her mother and Jacob stood opposite them, the three sharing looks of awe over Renesmee's talent. For someone who'd only been born a week ago, she was pretty damn smart. Carlisle and Esme were sitting across from them in two armchairs, hunched over an intense game of chess which neither of them were winning, both too distracted by their granddaughter and each other. Verona sat with the rest of her siblings on the lounge, a magazine in her lap that she'd long since given up on reading as she stared out the window, feeling unusually relaxed as she listened to Renesmee's tune.

She tore her gaze away from the window at Alice's approaching footsteps, sharing a grin with her happy sister as they both looked towards Renesmee, proud of their beautiful niece. But Alice's smile was quick to fade into a frown. She let out a gasp as she was hit by a vision, the vase she'd been holding slipping from her hands and shattering against the floor. In an instant, Jasper was up on his feet and rushing to her side, arms looping around her waist in worry.

"What is it, Alice?" he asked.

"The Volturi," she whispered, meeting Verona's eyes across the room. "They're coming for us."

No one said anything for an instant, shocked at the revelation. They hadn't done anything wrong, the Volturi had no reason to come for them. Suddenly, Verona's phone began to ring, the sharp sound interrupting the silence. Her wide eyes darted to her coven as they looked towards her, the fear in her gaze hinting at who was calling her. For a moment, no one said anything. And then Verona was rushing out of the room, her hands shaking as they clutched her phone to her ear.

"Alec," she breathed. Before she could say another word, she heard a hiss come from the other end of the call. "Alec, please let me explain."

"An immortal child, Verona?" Alec shouted. He was pacing back and forth in his quarters, Jane watching him from where she was sitting at his desk. "Your family has created an immortal child?"

"It's not like that!" she protested, only to be interrupted by an echo of mocking laughter. "Alec, I promise you, Renesmee's not an immortal child." 

"Oh, so the thing has a name, does she?" he hissed. "Look, I know your family has never been the type to follow the rules, but this is beyond what I thought you were capable of."

"Alec, please," she whispered. "You have to believe me."

"How can I believe anything you say anymore?" he scoffed. "You told me no more secrets, and then you rush back home saying you don't want to be with me anymore. Is this why? Your family created an immortal child and you ran back to them like you always do?"

"Because I'm your mate," she murmured, and he gave a shout of annoyance at her words. "Alec, you know me, you know I wouldn't do something like this. Just listen to me!"

"I thought so," he said, cutting her off with a sigh. "I guess I was wrong."

"Alec, just come and see for yourself!" she pleaded. "She isn't what you think she is!"

"Enough!" he snapped. "I can't take this anymore!"

"You know I would bever do anything to put my family at risk, to put you at risk." Neither of them said anything for a moment. Alec met his sister's eyes across the room, seeing the pity in them and immediately turning away. Verona knew her family were also listening, but she couldn't bring herself to care as she blurted out the first thing she could think of that would get him to believe her, for him to listen for just a second. "Alec, I love you."

More silence. In the living room, the Cullens shared fearful looks, knowing just how sad Verona would be if he didn't say it back, if he turned against her for good. She'd struggled so much in the past year, it was one thing after another for her and Alec, but this was above anything they'd ever experienced before.

"Alec?" she frowned, wondering if the call had disconnected without her realising.

Before she could say anything else, Alec hung up the phone, leaving Verona to listen to the dial tone. Somehow, that was far worse than him saying he didn't love her back. Hearing the words she already thought were true would've cut her deep, but Alec hadn't even cared enough to say it to her face, simply hanging up so he could be done with her.

For a moment, she simply stood there, the phone pressed to her ear. Then she was turning on her heel and joining the others in the living room, ignoring their worried stares as she slumped onto the lounge. She didn't protest as Rosalie wrapped an arm around her, resting her head on her sister's shoulder as the others continued to watch her, almost like they were waiting for her to break. But she wouldn't, at least not yet.

"So they think she's an immortal child," she announced, even though she knew they'd heard what Alec said. Instead, she pushed away all thoughts of him, trying to focus on the issue at hand. 

"What's an immortal child?" Bella frowned. From beside her, Jacob gave a noise of agreement, worried eyes lingering on Renesmee's curious face.

"Let's take this to my office," Carlisle suggested, gesturing for everyone to follow him upstairs. 

Bella didn't hesitate to join him, clutching Renesmee in her arms like she was afraid the enemy would sweep out of the shadows and take Ness away from her. Everyone else was right behind them, situating themselves around the room while Carlisle looked through his bookshelves for information on the immortal children. Soon, he was placing a large leather-bound book in front of Bella, Jacob leaning over her shoulder to get a better look at the aged pages.

"The immortal children were very beautiful and enchanting. To be near them was to love them," Carlisle explained. He was standing next to Esme, a hand resting on her shoulder. "But their development was frozen at the age they were turned. They couldn't be taught or restrained. A single tantrum could destroy an entire village. Humans heard about the devastation, stories started to spread. The Volturi were forced to intervene; since the children couldn't protect our secret, they had to be destroyed. But their creators grew attached, fighting to protect them. Long established covens were torn apart, countless humans slaughtered. Traditions, friends, even families were lost."

"So the Denalis mother made an immortal child?" Bella frowned, trying to understand just why Irina would go to the Volturi instead of talking to them about it.

"Yes," Carlisle nodded gravely. "And she paid the price."

"Well, Renesmee's nothing like those children," Bella hissed, growing defensive of her daughter, who was sitting in Rosalie's arms across the room, too distracted by the blonde's cooing to pay attention to their conversation. "She was born, not bitten, she grows every single day."

"So can't you just explain that to the Volturi?" Jacob asked. Verona sighed; she wished it was that simple. But Alec was proof that the Volturi wouldn't stop to listen to them. Once they had their heart set on something, there was no stopping them. They were coming for them, coming to destroy them, and no explanation would be enough to change their minds. It didn't matter if Alec didn't love her, it was only a matter of time before Verona and her family ended up dead if they couldn't find a way to deter them.

"Aro has enough proof in Irina's thoughts," Edward muttered, sparing Verona a brief glance that she ignored. 

"So then we fight," Jacob shrugged, not seeing the problem. It wouldn't be their first fight against the supernatural and it definitely wouldn't be their last.

"Their offensive weapons are too powerful," Jasper shook his head, clinging to Alice much as Bella had clung to her daughter. Like if he let her go, he'd lose her. "No one can stand against Jane."

"Alec's even worse," Verona muttered, ignoring the way her heart twisted at his name.

"Well, then we convince them," Bella insisted, faint surprise showing on her face at Verona's open discussion of her mate's flaws. But she didn't focus on that, too worried for her daughter and their survival.

"They're coming to kill us," Emmett let out a sigh. "Not to talk."

"No, you're right," Edward nodded, lost in his thoughts. "They won't listen to us, but maybe others can convince them. Carlisle, you have friends all around the world."

"I won't ask them to fight," Carlisle shook his head, arms folded across his chest. He wouldn't put his friends in danger, even if it meant the loss of his life.

"Not fight, witness," Edward huffed. "If enough people knew the truth, then maybe we could convince the Volturi to listen."

Carlisle still looked unsure, but he was eventually swayed by Esme placing an assuring hand on his arm. "We can ask this of our friends."

And so it was decided; they were going to gather as many witnesses as they could, hoping against all odds that it'd be enough for the Volturi to stop, even for a second, and see the truth. But deep down, despite their preparations, Verona didn't feel like it'd change their minds. She heard the horror in Alec's voice, the blind faith he had in her supposed crime. If the Volturi were set on killing them, then she wasn't sure any amount of witnesses would be able to stand in their way. But she'd fight, she'd fight alongside her family just like she'd always done. Praying that if it didn't work out, Alec and his coven would at least have the decency to make her death quick.