62.
The power flared around me and pulled me. Her face changed from the awakening of the spirit within. Renesme my mate. I fell to my knees, at her feet. I recognized the people around her and saw them as they stepped forward to stop me. But her power held them at bay. Edward and Bella frowned at us. Their eyes were full of confusion. But this was not about them. This was about us.
"My queen," I lifted my gaze to her. A gentle smile appeared on her lips. Her hair swayed around her moonlit face, an unearthly beauty. A goddess. She brushed her hand over my now-long hair and cupped my face. I leaned in the caress.
"Tonight, we become one." Her voice held an ancient knowledge. She was not the little girl, I left behind ten years ago. Movement behind us caught my eye. Edward's glared at me while Emet struggled to restrain him. Carlisle clenched his fists ready to pounce and Alice stood there shocked.
"Renesme?" called Carlisle. She didn't turn to them as if she didn't hear his call. Couldn't hear any of them. Alice's blood-red eyes narrowed at us.
"Her powers are talking over her. What used to be her is being replaced by something very old," she whispered. Tendrils of pure, raw power wrapped around us. It tore at my skin, forcing me to shift. I let out a roar of agony.
"Renesme!" shouted Bella. Her eyes glimmered with tears. Red tears. When I tilted my eyes at my mate's peaceful face, she smiled. "Renesme, fight it. Don't let it take over you," Bella cried.
"Come, my king," her hand stroked my hair. And I broke from my skin with bone-shattering pain. For a moment, chaos reigned. My heart pulsed in my ears. My breath was uneven. Then her touch compelled me to her. Her scent hit me. A mixture of forest and fire. Mine. She appeared in all her glory. A whine of longing poured from me. I nudged her leg with my massive wolf head. The commotion behind us made me snarl. Who was I? I didn't know but I knew her. My mate. A low warning growl resonated from my lips. No one was to threaten my mate. The vampires froze in a semi-circle around the stones. The smell of the night was heightened by the touch of my mate. I blinked and stared at her. My wolf sight caught the reddish barrier around her. Her wild power. Vampires were our natural enemies.
"Come, leave those puny creatures behind." Her voice was a caress, an order from my queen. I turned away and trotted next to her.
"Renesme," kept calling the vampires. I knew that name. They also should be familiar. But something prevented me from remembering them. My wolves howled in the distance. A call to their alpha. Now, their king. I howled back announcing the return of their queen.
"Her power has taken over her completely," called the female vampire with the pixie haircut. They didn't follow us in the forest. The darkness of the night embraced us. Our new rule starts now...