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ALEC VOLTURI HAD ALWAYS BEEN A MONSTER.
From the brief years of his humanity, where he and Jane were condemned as witches before they ever spoke a word, to his centuries of feasting on the blood of worthless humans and ending the existence of thousands who dared to defy the rule of his coven, Alec was nothing. close to good. He had known of his darkness, relished in it for nearly a thousand years, until he met a girl who was brighter than all the stars.
But he had made her into a monster, tainted her with the devil that was himself. He had ruined her. He hated himself for loving her.
It had become an obsession, the more she drifted away, the more he pulled on her, chaining her to his life in hopes of keeping the light on.
"You have changed, Alec," Jane had said in a horror-struck whisper after an incident in which he had ripped apart five vampires for catcalling after Aurora. And the newborn wasn't even there anymore—she had obliviously gone back to the upper level of the castle to paint.
"This has gone far enough," she said firmly. It's not that she particularly cared for the recently destroyed vampires nor did the masters, but even Jane knew when to stop.
Alec, a caricature of himself, snarled at his twin sister. "I am tired of your possessiveness, Jane. You cannot control my every decision."
The blonde, ever so sadistic and cruel, stepped back from her brother, with disbelief in her eyes. "Alec, listen to yourself," she tried to reason, "look at what you've done in her name," she gestured to the body pieces in disdain. "It's not I who has become possessive."
Alec could admit that was not his finest moment. Even with her missing memory, he had sensed she was figuring out where her heart belonged, and it was certainly not in Volterra. In his mind, he needed to do everything he could to keep her close. She had trusted him already, but she had no choice to.
"Why must we feed on humans?" Aurora was a curious newborn, not that he could blame her. She had lost nearly all her memory, her fire dim as an ember, but still brilliant nonetheless. He sought to revive her.
"It is the way of our kind," he frowned as they took a moonlit walk in the gardens.
"Is there no other way?" A crease formed between her brows. "Just out of curiosity,"
"You are so odd, luca mia," he murmured endearingly while dodging the question.
He had known she was meant for so much more than the guard. She never belonged in the Volturi, never belonged with him. He had even gone back to the ruins of her dormitory, in an attempt to retrieve any salvable trinkets that might jog her memories. Amongst the burnt remains that was her room, he rummaged around, only finding a steel jewelry box intact where he found a delicate gold pendant with a encrusted with a lion, three spades, and a hand.
