verona hale and alec volturi; two lonely immortals so immersed in their petty coven rivalry that it's almost too late when they realise they're in love with each other. almost.
the twilight saga / alec volturi
new moon ― breaking dawn
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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE HUNTER OR THE PREY
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VERONA COULD STILL FEEL Alec's lips against her own. Molded together like puzzle pieces, rough and gentle in all the right places. She could still feel his touch, the way his fingers lingered on her skin like he couldn't get enough of her. She could still hear his voice, the way that he'd whisper sweet nothings into her ear as they sat together, lost in each other's embrace. Every piece of him haunted her, day and night, an endless loop of memories and phantom touches and soothing whispers. Alec Volturi haunted Verona Hale in every way possible, and it was tearing her to pieces.
In the time that she'd been home, Verona had refused to leave her room unless she was checking up on Bella. She ignored her family's pleas for her to let them in; no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't. The words would catch in her throat, pressing down on her chest in the empty space where her heart used to be, reminding her of what she'd given up by coming home, by choosing her coven over her love. Things were meant to be okay for her. She was meant to be happy, they both were. Yet once again, they found themselves on the opposing sides of a war. Why couldn't they have their happy ending, for once in their lives? It just wasn't fair. But Verona had made up her mind, and she'd live with that, no matter how much it hurt her.
"Verona?" Bella's hollow voice snapped Verona out of her thoughts. She was downstairs sitting by her sister's side, her hands pressed to Bella's growing stomach as she took away her pain. The others lingered around them, speaking in hushed whispers and pretending like everything was fine, even when tension suffocated every inch of the living room. "Are you okay?"
Verona paused at that, empty eyes peering up at her, Bella's heartbeat echoing in her ears. "I should be asking you that."
"I'm fine," Bella muttered on instinct, though her words were quickly followed by a wince of agony. "It's you that I'm worried about."
"Well, I'm okay too," Verona smiled at her. But the grin made her face ache, and it soon wavered into a grimace much like Bella's. "You don't need to worry about me. Just focus on your baby for now."
From the corner of her eye, Verona noticed how her family exchanged cautious glances at her words, like the mere mention of the baby that Bella carried inside her was a curse. Sure, it'd only been a few days since she came home, but those days were enough for everything to start falling apart around them.
Bella was only getting worse the longer she stayed pregnant. Edward had been furious when he learned that his wife had contacted Rosalie and Verona on their way home, knowing without even looking into his sisters' minds that they wouldn't give up on protecting Bella and her baby, no matter what he said to convince them. He could spit every plea or curse he knew at them, and they'd stand by his wife's decision regardless. They knew it was hurting her, and while they hated seeing her suffer, it was something she wanted. And they refused to let her choice be taken away, no matter how frustrated it made Edward. They'd been in Bella's position before; Rosalie at the hands of men who didn't understand consent. Verona under the command of a mental asylum who defeated her in every way imaginable. And while each of their situations were different, it united them, and they weren't going to stand by and let anyone, no matter who it was, go against Bella's wishes.
