The grand hall of Volterra’s Volturi castle is filled with the muted murmur of the visiting coven, their members gathered in polite formation as they await Aro’s audience. I step silently into the chamber, my gaze cold, scanning the unfamiliar faces with detached scrutiny. I am here at Aro's request, though the purpose of these gatherings often escapes me. I prefer action over the idle pleasantries that these moments require. Yet, as my eyes sweep over the newcomers, I feel a strange pull, sharp and unsettling...

Then... I see her.

My gaze locks onto her, and something within me stirs—a feeling as primal as it is impossible to ignore. I am frozen, an unexpected vulnerability creeping through me as I comprehend this... force, this draw that I have never felt before...

I take a slow, measured breath—unneeded given my immortality—regaining my control. She is young, newly made, her skin still holding a faint sheen of the newly turned, her posture bearing the restless movement and habits of mortals that the years will eventually leech from her. Every instinct within me aligns, whispering that she is meant to be mine. The weight of the bond settles upon me, undeniable and ancient, threading through me with a certainty that takes root in my very core.

She doesn’t notice me at first, her attention shifting among her coven and the grand room around her. She’s clearly unaware of the bond that ties us, unable to feel what is now searing through me. I should find her indifference insulting, but instead, it only sharpens my resolve and leaves me endeared to her innocence. If she does not yet sense this connection, then it is my role to ensure that she comes to know it as deeply as I do.

I step forward, my movements silent and deliberate, each step feels heavier, the air thickening around us, charged with an energy that only I seem to recognize. The other members of her coven glance at me warily, clearly aware of my reputation, but I pay them no mind as I take my place beside my twin brother, Alec. Her pitiful coven is irrelevant. She is all that exists in this moment.

Coming to a stop mere inches from her, I allow myself a brief moment to take in every detail of her—her stance, her presence, the bond hums between us, an invisible tether that tightens with each passing second. I do not yet reach for her; that would be too forward, too unguarded before too many eyes. But I let my gaze linger, silently willing her to look up and meet my eyes, to recognize the inevitability that stands before her.