The days in Forks were beginning to feel endless, each one like a heartbeat that marked time in a world that no longer made sense to me. I moved through it all as if I were a ghost, a phantom of my former self. The school, the people—it all felt small, shallow, compared to what I had become.
I had built this world around me, sculpting my surroundings with my newfound powers. My coven—Victor, Joan, Luca, Aurora, and Dante—were my creations, my family in the truest sense. I had breathed life into them, and they had become extensions of myself. Together, we were an unstoppable force, bound by loyalty, power, and purpose.
And then there was Selene.
Selene wasn't a creation, not in the way my coven was. She was different. I had pulled her from the very fabric of my desires, a being of power and beauty, unlike anyone I had ever encountered. She was mine, but she wasn't defined by me. She was as much an enigma as she was a partner. She was more than an ally. She was my equal, my balance, my strength. But most importantly, she was my love.
As the bell rang and students filtered into the hallways, I could feel the eyes of everyone around me. They didn't understand what we were, what we had become, and they were afraid of it. They should be. They had no idea who they were dealing with.
Selene walked beside me, her presence a constant source of quiet strength. She was the calm in the storm of my existence, the only constant in a world that was becoming increasingly alien to me. Her beauty was undeniable—almost otherworldly. Dark hair cascading over her shoulders, eyes like storm clouds, sharp features that could cut through the air itself. There was something fierce in her gaze, something unapologetic. She was an enigma wrapped in elegance, and she had chosen to walk beside me.
I could feel Alice's eyes on me from across the hallway. She was staring at me again, her expression a mix of curiosity and frustration. I could sense the bond—the mate bond—that tugged at my chest, threatening to pull me into a relationship that wasn't mine to choose. But I would not be bound by it. I had the power to resist.
Selene glanced up at me, sensing the shift in my mood. "The bond is pulling, isn't it?" Her voice was soft, like velvet, but there was an edge to it. She didn't like the idea of me being tethered to anyone, especially not by something as… limiting as fate.
"It doesn't control me," I said, my voice low, a quiet strength behind my words. "Not anymore."
She smiled, a small, approving curl of her lips. "Good. Because I didn't come here to be anyone's second choice."
I reached out, gently brushing her hand with mine. The world around us seemed to fade as I focused entirely on her. The others in the hallway could do nothing but stare, and I could feel the energy shifting as they took in the sight of us. But I didn't care. They weren't the ones I was concerned with. It was Selene who mattered. It was Selene who understood me.
The morning passed slowly, the dullness of classes punctuated by the occasional glance from Alice or the piercing stares from the other students. They didn't know what to make of us—of me. But I could see the fear starting to settle in. The Cullens, their strange family dynamics, were no longer the only supernatural presence in Forks. We had arrived, and we were here to stay.
At lunch, Selene and I walked side by side, the heavy silence of the cafeteria greeting us like a wave. Students whispered behind their hands, their glances lingering on us like a strange, tantalizing curiosity. They didn't know whether to approach or to stay away.
I could feel Alice's gaze from across the room. Her eyes were fixed on me, searching for answers that I wasn't ready to give. She could feel the bond too—the connection that was supposed to pull me toward her—but I wasn't ready to surrender to it. I wasn't ready to let fate decide for me.
"Do they stare at you like this all the time?" Selene asked, her voice smooth, but laced with a hint of amusement.
"Only since you've been walking with me," I said, a wry smile tugging at my lips. "They're not sure whether to be terrified or in awe."
She grinned, her lips curving in a way that could stop time. "They'll figure it out eventually."
We found a table near the back of the room, and I could feel the weight of every pair of eyes on us as we sat. Selene was unfazed, but I couldn't help but notice how the energy in the room shifted. There was a growing sense of unease, a ripple of tension spreading as the students whispered among themselves.
"They're afraid of you," Selene said quietly, her eyes scanning the room.
"Let them be," I said, my tone firm. "Fear is a powerful thing."
As the moments stretched on, I could sense the Cullens, their eyes lingering on us from their usual spot. Alice's gaze never left me, but I knew she was struggling with something—what, exactly, I didn't know. I wasn't ready to talk to her. I didn't want to explain. Not yet.
But I could feel the bond—the constant tug in my chest—growing stronger.
After lunch, I walked Selene to class. The halls were quieter now, the whispers replaced by hushed murmurs as we passed. They were afraid. And they should be. But I was more concerned with what the Cullens would do next. I had no doubt they had already begun plotting. They always did. But I wasn't afraid of them.
I turned to Selene as we walked, my eyes meeting hers. She was a force of nature, a storm that could not be contained. She wasn't here to be a pawn in anyone's game. She was here to shape the world, just as I was.
"Are you ready for this?" I asked her, my voice soft but laden with meaning.
She nodded, her gaze steady and unwavering. "Always."
The rest of the day passed in a blur, the tension between me and Alice thick enough to cut with a knife. She wasn't giving up, and neither was I. But what she didn't understand was that I wasn't the same person she had once known. I wasn't bound by the same rules. The mate bond wasn't going to dictate my life.
When the final bell rang, I walked out of the building, Selene by my side. The air was cool, and the mist rolled in from the woods, wrapping around us like a cloak. It was time to begin the next chapter.
"Are you sure about this?" Selene asked, her voice a low murmur. "They won't let us just walk through their world without consequences."
"I'm not worried about them," I said, my voice steady. "We're the storm now. And they'll have to learn to live with it."
As we walked into the forest, the sound of footsteps behind us signaled the approach of something—or someone. But I wasn't concerned. Not anymore.