✔️The Embers| Caius Volturi (BOOK 2)

6. The Dead

"Right" Adolpha coughed awkwardly for a second, blinking rapidly to collect her thoughts after their previous conversation before she continued with seriousness in her tone. "The Blue Pack... We have a long-running feud with a different pack. I am telling you this because I trust that you are going to listen and not do anything stupid. This other pack, they are savages" she sighed. "They aren't like us, they didn't mutate as we did. They are just normal humans aside from on the full moon. And so, they die of old age and then their ancestors pick up the fight against our pack again, they come in waves and it's been twenty years since we have last heard from them"

"But?"

"But" she sighed, accepting his prompt. "Five of our wolves have been killed in the last two weeks, the opposing pack insignia was left at the scene. They wanted us to know that they were the ones who did it."

"What do you need from me?" he questioned softly. "Werewolf massacre?" Caius smirked and she scoffed, shaking her head though a soft smile lit her lips at his words.

"Not yet" she warned. "There's something else... All the bodies were drained of blood." Caius instantly crinkled his nose at the thought, in disgust. "Clearly Vampire business, they didn't drink the blood themselves- they did it as a warning, to tell us that the other pack has teamed up with vampire... The other vampires left something else behind..."

Caius accepted the photograph she handed to him gently, eyes scanning over the dead body within it and the image painted on the wall. When he took in the very familiar symbol, he sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"The Romanians" he breathed.

"Sorry, the who?"

"The Romanian. They're-" he shook his head, bitterly as he stood to pace. "They hate us, they believe that they are the rightful rulers of the vampires and that we were the reason for their downfall. They have waited centuries to get back at us but there are only two of them" Caius sighed. "Though, any time a war breaks out that has us even remotely involved, they side with them in an attempt to demolish us. They want their power back."

"This was them?" she frowned, tapping the picture and Caius nodded once, eyes softening when they fell upon her warm doe orbs. "But, I don't understand. Why would they side with werewolves? Why would they want to take out Blue Pack? I don't understand what that will do for them?"

"Maybe they heard about the treaty?" Caius mused as he continued to pace though his brow was crinkled which was an indication that he was just guessing. "Or maybe they've made an agreement with the wolves? The Romanians take out the Blue Pack and then the Wolves help take out the Volturi? It doesn't really make any sense."

"Conri thinks that they will attack the camp on the next full moon. The other pack are just as weak as us throughout the rest of the month, they surely wouldn't attack in human form but as wolves, it's a fair fight. Which means we only have two weeks before that happens."

"And what are your people doing to prepare for this?" he queried and she looked down, away from his penetrating gaze. "Adolpha, this isn't the time to be keeping secrets from me. How am I supposed to keep you safe if I don't even know what you are doing on your own for protection?" he snapped and she sighed, looking up at him.

"We are rounding up allies. Okay? And I wasn't supposed to tell you because you're a vampire that's been going around slaughtering my people for centuries" she broke and he stared at her, frozen for a long moment.

"Adolpha" he breathed, resting his hands on the back of the couch opposite her as he spoke calmly. "Do you truly believe that I will kill the people who are protecting you? It is true that I hated wolves, that they tried to kill my wife. But she's now my ex-wife and my soulmate is one of the wolves! When I brought you here, Adolpha, even though I was bitter and cruel to you, I always promised to protect you. That doesn't change now. The Romanians have involved us in this themselves. The Volturi don't back down. We are your allies. I won't let anyone take you away from me, Adolpha. Not when I have just found you."

"You could get hurt"

"I don't care" he shook his head in denial. "I am done pretending with you, Adolpha. I am done trying to hide my feelings from you because I don't want to be seen as weak. I promised you not even five minutes ago that I would try with you and this is me trying. I won't lose you, Little Wolf." he stated determinedly and she nodded once, swallowing. Despite the severity of the situation they were in, she felt so much calmer with him at her side- promising to protect her no matter what happened. "I need to take this to Aro"

"Okay... I am heading out with Chann. We have to go to some wolves that live near here" she nodded, frowning though knowing now that he wouldn't hurt them. He had promised and maybe it was just the bond making her mind go stupid- but she believed him.

".... Stay safe."

"Don't worry about that, they're only human" she smiled and he nodded once, in contemplation.

"I assume you can't take any guard with you?"

"Not if we want the pack to trust us" she denied and he sighed.

"Well... Take my car and phone me if anything goes south" he nodded, staring into her eyes for a long moment, meaningfully before he turned on his heel and was gone. In his absence, Adolpha couldn't help the bright grin that split across her face. He was trying with her, which was all she ever asked of him... It felt so marvellous to be cared for by him.