My Strength Chapter 23

They were all in the woods, really just the Cullen’s backyard, and it couldn’t be more awkward. Bella stood between Victoria and Zafrina while Athenodora and Caius watched the Cullen’s training with most of the guard. Caius brought the rest of the main guard with him plus some extra ones he trusted to help make sure the fight with the pack went smoothly per Bella’s request. There was an unexpected development that was making everyone in the area uncomfortable.

“Do you think they’ll ever manage to talk to each other?” Bella asked Victoria, knowing Zafrina likely wouldn’t give a verbal answer, only grunt a yes or no; Bella would get her opinion on the new couple before she went to bed when there weren’t so many other people around.

“I don’t think Leah will give in, she seems too stubborn.” Victoria mused, “Although, Alec has had a lot of practice when it comes to dealing with stubborn women given who his twin is.”

“Do you think Jane will try to do something to Leah for imprinting on him?” Bella asked. She may not know Jane very well, she could still tell how protective and close the twins were of each other. She wondered if Jane would get jealous of having to share her brother for likely the first time in their long lives or not.

“I think it will be like the Amazons, their dynamic will only adjust to Alec having a mate.” Victoria guessed, “The Amazons haven’t treated Zafrina any different after she found her mate, they are still just as close, isn’t that right Zafrina?”

“We will always be the Amazon Coven.” Zafrina affirmed, glancing at her sisters helping the untrained Cullen’s and wolves train. She would never be without her sisters, that much was certain, while her mate was the most important person to her, her sisters were a close second. The wins may be physically young, being forever seventeen put them the same age as the idiot that started the whole fiasco with her mate, but they were much more mature. Zafrina was sure they would figure out their new dynamic soon enough. “They will always be the Witch Twins.”

“Yeah, but,” Bella was at a loss for how to explain to Zafrina that while in the end, however long it may take to get there was undetermined, there were going to be some problems. “I know that, but what about when Alec starts to spend more time with Leah, do you think Jane would get jealous?”

“They will always be the Witch Twins.” Zafrina repeated. Did her mate not understand that while someone may gain a mate, they didn’t lose their family? There were always exceptions of course, but just like with Zafrina herself, family would always be there for Jane. That would never change and that was all that mattered.

Victoria laughed, sensing her human mates’ confusion, “Just leave it Bella, she’s not wrong.” Victoria said with a smirk, loving the look of frustration on her mates’ face. She couldn’t wait until she could see the look of frustration on Bella’s face caused from a very different reason other than Zafrina’s lack of speaking skills. She hugged Bella too her, not in an effort to be heard but in an effort to be close to her mate. She was feeling clingy after not being able to be with her mate all this time, she had a lot of catching up to do when it came to physical affection… that would hopefully turn into a very physical sex marathon sooner rather than later.

She just had to get her mate’s parents out of the picture. She would dare touch her mate inappropriately until then.

“Would you just cut out the crap and stop glaring at me!” Leah yelled at the twins, gaining everyone’s attention. Leah was partnered with Alec and Jane to train, Caius would never admit it but it amused the hell out of him to put the three together, and Leah was past done with training. Alec was being much to patient and kind for her liking and Jane wouldn’t stop glaring, it was like she had resting bitch face. It was all just pissing Leah off. “This is bullshit, I’m hungry and tired, I’m done with training for today.” Leah said before marching off towards the Cullen’s house. They hadn’t officially been welcomed into the house but there was no where else for Leah to go, so she would try to find an abandoned room, there had to at lest be one unused guest room in the house, and sulk there.

“I believe you have upset her sister.” Alec murmured just too quiet for his mate to hear as he stared after his upset mate. He needed to apologize. He hadn’t meant to be overbearing and while his siter did in fact mean to be an asshole, he had hoped it wouldn’t bother Leah. “I prefer you wouldn’t do that.”

“Then she needs a tougher skin.” Jane grunted as she glared after the woman that was meant to be her brother’s mate. “If she truly is your mate, then she needs to be strong enough. At the moment, she only appears weak.” There was much for Leah to prove for her to be welcomed by Jane.

“She just lost her home and is currently being hunted by her former pack, I believe she may be going through a hard time right now sister.” Alec reminded his sister. “I’ll go ensure her comfort.” He added more as a heads up to his master and mistress than for his sister’s knowledge.

“Training is done for the night,” Athenodora said for all, “The Cullen’s will provide for your mate’s livelihood.” She added as a reminder that Leah needed her human comforts like food and clothes and that the Cullen’s were going to provide it all since Leah was displaced.

“We will be back tomorrow and train during the school hours.” Caius instructed.

Athenodora and Caius turned towards their daughter, who may have enjoyed watching the training and learned a few things but seeing as Bella wasn’t able to actually train herself while she was a human, all she could do was watch. It didn’t take long for Bella to lose her focus and no longer care to watch; they couldn’t her for getting bored, they would have been too if they weren’t involved.

So they both decided to train with everyone during school hours when Bella was at school and talk strategy with their daughter during the evening and rely all decisions to everyone else the next training session. Until Alice could narrow down an attack time, there was nothing they could do but wait. They would not bring the fight onto the reservation, by having them bring the fight it would give them greater leverage for Jacob to take over the pack. And that was Bella’s hopeful plan, both her and Jacob’s hope, they wanted him to take the Alpha position he was deemed to have by birth and then kick Sam off of the land.

“I think Charlie could do with a quick visit from you Bella, then we can talk.” Athenodora said as she pulled her daughter away from the clingy mates and started to walk her towards their car.

Both Victoria and Zafrina ran alongside the car in the forest to stay hidden while their mate and her parent’s took her home. The trip was quick and filled with Bella telling them she was nearly done with school and wouldn’t miss it when she had to leave. Bella was truly looking forward to moving to Italy; losing Charlie would be hard but in all fairness, he hadn’t been around her life much for her to form a bond with him. She imagined he would have been a really good parent if she had been able to grow up with him and would have even possibly put up more of a fuss about having to leave him, as it was, she had only spent a small amount of time with him that she could remember; that wasn’t much time to form a lasting bond with him.

Once she was home, had dinner and talked with Charlie long enough to barely say hi and goodnight, Bella was back in her room with her vampire parents, she wasn’t quiet ready to call them that to their faces yet, and her mates. This was the part of her day she was looking forward to.

“With everyone we have with us, can we just force the wolves to give up or to at least not attack while Jacob takes his position back?” Bella asked for what seemed like the millionth time. She had asked them several times with several variations and the answer was always the same. But she couldn’t believe them, she couldn’t imagine it was so easy. After the trouble she had seen the Cullen’s have with James and the wolves with Laurent, she couldn’t imagine securing a large wolf without harm would be so easy.

“Contrary to what many people believe, both Alec and Jane are able to use their gift on many people at once. It has to do with how they developed their powers when they were humans trying to protect each other from their village, but that’s their business not yours.” Caius said, his jealousy showing in his tone that it was his brother who was able to score such loyal and powerful guards and not him. Aro never lets him forget it.

“With all of us, the Cullen’s and the Amazons, there is no way we can lose. We may get a few hits but in the end we will win and lose no one. I promise you, the worst we will suffer is maybe a lost limb that can easily grow back. This will be easier than previous fight we’ve had, do not worry young one. We never enter a fight we cannot win.” Athenodora with a smirk that sent shivers up Bella’s spine. Her parents sure could be horrifying, good then they were on her side.