(Thomas POV)

The Cullen house glowed softly against the night's mist when Edythe and I stepped inside. The faint scent of cedar polish and ozone hung in the air, mixing with something sweeter, that strong, cold-sugar fragrance that always clung to this family.

The front room was alive with quiet motion. Carlisle stood near the wide glass windows, the gray light turning his skin faintly luminous as he folded his hands behind his back. Esme sat on the arm of a couch nearby, her expression calm but tight, a practiced serenity with strain beneath it.

Across the room, Jasper leaned against a pillar, arms folded loosely, posture relaxed in a way that fooled no one. Alice perched on the back of the couch beside Esme, her gaze distant, watching a dozen possible presents at once.

Rosalie stood by the piano, arms crossed, every line of her posture carved from ice. Emmett hovered near her, restless energy coiled in his broad frame, his attempts at conversation already silenced twice by a single look from Rosalie.

When Edythe and I entered, the murmurs stopped.

Carlisle turned toward us with a polite, strained smile. "Thomas. Edythe. I'm glad you came. Alice was just bringing everyone up to speed."

"About Volterra," Alice added quickly, her tone lighter than the room felt.

I nodded and moved to the empty loveseat near the center of the room. "Bella called," I said. "She asked us to be here before she and Edward arrive, she wants a family meeting."

Edythe sat beside me, her hand brushing mine briefly, a small, grounding touch that drew a line of calm through the tension.

Alice folded her hands primly on her knees. "I've already gone over what happened in Italy. From when Edythe and I arrived at Bella's house to the moment Aro let us leave."

Edythe's voice was quiet, but sharp. "Including his interest in Bella?"

Alice's eyes flicked to her. "And in Thomas."

That turned every gaze in the room toward me.

Carlisle sighed softly. "Aro never forgets a mystery. His curiosity is… dangerous."

"It's more than curiosity," I said, leaning forward. "It's control. He wants to understand what he can't command, because the moment he understands it, he can use it."

Jasper's expression darkened. "And until he does, he'll keep watching."

Carlisle inclined his head. "Yes. Aro made it clear, he intends to 'observe' Bella's progress. Which means we'll be observed too."

Edythe's eyes hardened slightly. "He also saw Thomas through Edward and Alice's memories. The connection intrigued him."

Rosalie's brow arched. "Alice said he compared you to something, a legend?"

"Rakshasa," I said. "Old Hindu myths. Fire-born predators that can walk as man or beast. He wasn't wrong about the shape, just the intent."

Emmett let out a low whistle. "So basically, you scared a vampire king with folklore."

"Not the worst outcome," I said dryly. "It kept them from testing me."

Carlisle's tone gentled, though the weight behind it didn't fade. "Aro's fascination isn't admiration, Thomas. It's hunger, for knowledge, and for power."

I met his gaze evenly. "Then we'll have to make sure he gets neither."

That drew a faint murmur of agreement, tension shifting but not lifting.

"Before we go any further," I said, "there's something I need to tell you. Something I found in Nepal. It's about the Clans, how they began, and what they were made for."

That earned the full attention of the room.

Jasper straightened, curiosity flickering through his composure. "Something new?"

"Something old," I said. "Very old. The monks I trained with, Rohan's people, keep oral histories that go back before written language. Stories about what the first change was meant to protect, and about what came before it."

Rosalie tilted her head slightly. "Before shifters?"

"Before either of us," I said. "Before vampires, before the fire."

Edythe's gaze flicked to me, quiet, unreadable, but intent.

Carlisle stepped closer, voice soft. "Then this is something we should all hear."

I nodded once. "We should, but not yet. It ties directly to Volterra… and to Bella. I'd rather wait until she and Edward get here. It'll make more sense when everyone's in the room."

The rain filled the silence that followed, soft, steady, endless.

Then Alice's focus snapped back into the present. "They're almost here," she said. "Two minutes. Edward's carrying her."

Esme rose from the couch, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her blouse. "Then we'll wait."

The quiet that followed was thick with expectation. Outside, headlights cut through the mist, washing the forest in silver light.

Moments later, the front door opened.

Edward entered first, his expression drawn but controlled. Bella followed close behind, pale but resolute, her hand still in his.

Carlisle's voice broke the stillness with gentle warmth. "Welcome home. We were just discussing what comes next."

Bella met his gaze steadily. "Good," she said. "Because that's exactly why I'm here."

Carlisle nodded once, calm but deliberate. "Very well. I suggest we take this to the dining room table." His eyes flicked toward her, then to me. "It's where we, as a family, prefer to have our serious discussions."

Everyone began to move to the table in a way that suggested it had become something of a ritual for them. Edward sat Bella next to him, and Edythe pulled me to where she usually sat. I didn't ponder on when the exact number of chairs had been added, just accepted it.

The dining room was bright and austere, the polished table gleaming under the soft glow of the overhead lights. It was almost ironic, really, a table meant for meals that no one here would ever eat, yet it had become the center of every choice that mattered.

I corrected myself mentally that I had, in fact, used this table for its intended purpose, and maybe Bella, but knowing her, I doubted it.

Carlisle took his place at the head, Esme beside him. Alice and Jasper sat next to each other, quiet but alert. Rosalie lingered at the edge of the table, not sitting until Emmett rested a steadying hand on her shoulder.

When everyone was settled, the silence that followed was expectant, heavy but not hostile.

Carlisle folded his hands in front of him. "Alice has told us everything about Volterra, and what was said there," he began, his tone calm but edged with gravity. "But before we come to any decisions, Bella, you asked to speak. The floor is yours."

Bella hesitated only a breath before she nodded. "Thank you," she said softly, her fingers tightening around Edward's. I could see the urge to shrink away from the attention, but she pushed past it.

She took a breath that trembled just a little. "I know everyone here has already been through so much because of me," she began, her voice steadying as she spoke. "And now, with what happened in Volterra, your worst fears have come true. The Volturi know I exist. They know I know what you are. That means they'll be watching. Waiting. And if I stay human, I'm a liability, not just to myself, but to all of you."

Edward clenched his teeth and growled, "You exaggerate, Bella. We have been a curiosity for the Volturi for our lifestyle long before you came along."

Carlisle leaned forward slightly, his tone gentle. "Bella, no one blames you for what happened. The Volturi's notice doesn't make you a liability, it makes you family under our protection."

"I don't want protection," she said quickly. "Not like that. I want to belong. I want to stop being the weak link that keeps putting everyone in danger."

Her eyes flicked toward Alice, then Rosalie, before finally settling on Carlisle again. "Aro made it clear what he expects. The Volturi won't accept a human who knows about your kind living unchecked. Either I become like you… Or they'll come for me. And maybe for all of you."

Rosalie's fingers tightened around her folded arms, the sound of her bracelets faint in the silence. "You think that's a choice to make lightly?" she said, her voice low and sharp.

Bella didn't flinch. "No. But it's mine to make."

That earned her a flicker of surprise, even from Rosalie.

Edward's voice was quiet, threaded with tension. "Bella, we've talked about this."

"I know," she said, softer now but no less resolved. "But this isn't just about us anymore."

Carlisle exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable. "Then you're asking us to decide whether you should be changed."

Bella shook her head. "No. It is my decision, but I want to know where you stand. I want a vote… on whether you'll accept me as part of this family when the time comes."

The room went silent as everyone pondered her words.

Carlisle inclined his head, the motion deliberate and solemn. "Then we'll honor that. A family vote, as we've always done."

He looked around the table. "We'll start with Alice."

Alice didn't hesitate. "I already consider Bella one of us," she said, her voice bright but steady. "I've seen her as one of us, with us, for a long time now." She smiled gently at Bella. "So my vote is yes."

Carlisle nodded and turned to the next in line. "Jasper?"

Jasper's eyes lifted from the table, the faintest crease between his brows. "It's not an easy choice," he said slowly. "But if she stays human, she's in constant danger, and so are we. The Volturi won't leave this alone. Better to turn that risk into strength." He gave a single, grave nod. "Yes."

Across from him, Rosalie shifted, arms crossed, jaw tight. When Carlisle met her gaze, she spoke before he could prompt her. "No."

The word was flat, but not cruel.

Bella flinched slightly, but Rosalie went on. "I'm not saying I don't want you here, Bella. I just don't want you to make this mistake." Her eyes softened, regret, not anger. "If there was one thing I could undo, it would be losing my chance at a real human life. You still have yours, and potential you have not even considered yet. Don't throw it away because you think it's the only path forward."

The silence that followed wasn't judgmental, just heavy, full of things no one could argue with.

Carlisle inclined his head. "Thank you, Rosalie."

He turned to Emmett next.

Emmett gave a half-smile, that familiar mix of humor and sincerity. "Hell, I say why not? She's tough. She went toe-to-toe with the Volturi and didn't blink. If anyone's earned a place in this family, it's her." He glanced at Bella with a grin. "So yeah. That's a yes from me."

Carlisle turned to Edythe next, his eyes prompting her vote.

She had been quiet, her only movement the slow rhythm of her fingers rubbing mine as we held hands beneath the table. I could see the debate flicker across her face, tiny, precise changes that betrayed the storm behind her calm.

Finally, she sighed. "I'm sorry, Edward," she said softly. "But you've already made it clear that if Bella were to die, you would not go on living. That alone leaves me no choice but to vote yes. I won't cast a vote that could someday be the reason you try to end your life again."

Her voice didn't waver, but there was sorrow in it, the kind that only comes from having watched someone suffer once before.

Carlisle looked next to Esme.

Esme's expression was soft, almost maternal. "I only ever wanted my children to be safe and loved," she said gently. "You already love her, Edward, and she's proven she's willing to fight for you. I won't deny her the safety the change brings." She smiled faintly at Bella. "Yes."

Carlisle was last. He took a slow breath, his voice calm but solemn. "It's not a choice to make lightly, and I don't take it as such. But the Volturi's attention is not something that fades. In time, their patience will end." He paused, looking between Bella and Edward. "I trust you both to make the right decision when that time comes. My vote is yes."

Six pairs of eyes turned toward Edward, the unspoken question settling across the table.

He looked stricken, the muscles in his jaw working, his hands tight around Bella's. "You're all so willing to take her soul away," he said quietly, bitterness threading through his tone.

Bella didn't look away. "You are my soul, Edward," she said simply.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Carlisle's voice broke the silence. "Then it's decided. The family accepts Bella, if or when she chooses to join us fully, she will be welcome."

The words hung there like a verdict and a promise, both.

I leaned back in my chair, feeling the ripple of tension shift, not relief, but the fragile calm that comes after a storm when everyone's still waiting to see if it starts again.

Carlisle then sat forward at the table, his hands folded loosely. "Thomas," he said gently. "Earlier, you mentioned something you learned in Nepal, about the Clans, and perhaps about all of us. I think the time's right for you to tell it."