Chris Eldridge's foot began to tap on the carpeted floor, his mind not wanting to unveil the memories he had pushed back for so long. But as he looked at his daughter sitting opposite him, anxiously awaiting what he had to say, Chris knew there was no turning back.

He pushed his body forward in a sitting position, elbow resting against his jean covered knees, "We have been working with the Volturi way before I was born, I remember my father telling me about his experience with them and it was unspoken that I would have to do the same. Every single part of my training lead up to that moment, every weapon my father taught me how to use was preparing me to serve them."

Trying to sympathize with her father was hard, ever since he was keeping so much from her but Haven knew this might be the only way to learn what the Volturi wanted, "Why didn't you just tell them no? Presuming you didn't want to be involved with them. We can kill them after all right? Just some vampires, it's never stopped our kind before."

"These guys aren't just vampires, Haven, they're in a whole other league. Being alive for centuries has only increased their strength, not to mention it would have been one man against a coven in the hundreds."

Haven simply nodded, she had only ever seen a few pictures of some of the members but the fear and anger lacing her father's voice made her rethink how easily she thought she could dodge the coven.

"It was my only option, it was either that or they killed one of my family members. I couldn't let my dad down, I couldn't let my mom down or any of my siblings. I was the best hunter in the family so ultimately I was their number one choice, so when I was eighteen they summoned me to Italy. I stayed with them until I was thirty, that was when they simply let me go." Chris' eyes had glazed over at this point, he felt as if the words were flowing out of his mouth without any prior thought, like his brain was on autopilot so he didn't have to think too much about what he went through in his twelve year service.

Brows furrowed, Haven asked, "Why did they just let you go?"

"I had done them a faithful service, I was compliant and did everything that was asked of me without question. Aro often called me the perfect hunter, probably meaning that every other one in my position usually resisted at some point."

Letting out a breath, Haven pondered whether now was the appropriate time to ask what was truly on her mind, without hesitation she knew it was now or never, "What did they make you do?"

Her question was met with silence.

Chris looked up from where his blue eyes had been trained on an old stain in the carpet, holding his daughter's gaze firmly, "I don't want to talk about that."

Haven scoffed, "Well, don't you think I have a right to know considering they are coming for me next?"

Abruptly standing up at that question, the older man's eyes grew fierce at the thought of them even coming near his daughter. He despised the life he lived with the ancient vampires, there was no way in hell he would let them get to her, "I would never let them take you, you understand that?"

"You said it was either that or they kill someone in my family, and I won't lose you. I can't lose you." Haven's voice came down to a whisper, everything only dawning on her now that she was next on the Volturi's list. Of course she didn't want to go, but she wasn't going to let her family suffer because of her.

She had to be strong, for the sake of her dad, her mom and all of the loved people she would be leaving behind in this gloomy town.

Hands were instantly gripping her shoulders delicately, brown eyes meeting blue as Chris pulled his daughter up to stand opposite him, "You won't lose me or your mother, okay? We will find a way around it, I will do anything to make sure that you don't have to go through what I did."

Chris was entirely telling the truth at this point. He had been through more terrible things that anyone could ever imagine, been forced to do things that no person should never have to go through and even if it was the last thing he did, if it meant sacrificing things that he held close, he would keep his daughter safe. The girl that he had seen grow up in front of his eyes, the girl who had been tested and trialed again and again, only to come up stronger, his own flesh and blood, would always remain safe if he had something to do with it.

Haven instantly dug her face into her father's shirt, grasping his body in a hug as she squeezed him tight, fearing that if she let go then it would all become real. For once in her life, Haven let her emotions forward as tears cascaded down her sloped cheekbones, everything ran through her mind. She wasn't a huntress in that moment, someone who was to always put the job first and be strong, Haven was being a seventeen year old girl who was scared for her life, scared for her loved ones.

In that moment it didn't matter if the father and daughter had differing views on how to do their job, it didn't matter that Chris knew all about her attachment to Jacob when Haven thought she was keeping it a secret, it didn't matter about her consorting with the very people she was supposed to be hunting, all that mattered was family and keeping one another safe.

Chris placed a kiss on the top of her brunette head, tugging her closer into his body as if it would keep her sheltered from all of the supernatural outside world. He could only hope that he could keep his promise, he would do anything to ensure he did.

---

It had been weeks now since any suspicious activity happened in Forks, there was no sign of the intruder that had wreaked havoc in the minds of people close to Bella. Everything was running smoothly.

Haven had been happily helping keep watch of the Swan household, interchanging with both the vampires and wolves whenever breaks were needed. If there was one good thing to come out of the whole intruder debacle, then it was the somewhat peaceful alliance that had come together between the two rivaling species.

As the Cullen's were now out hunting, Bella had been spending the whole day with both Haven and Jacob, the three feeling like it was old times as they simply hung out like they used to do during the time that Edward and his coven had left the gloomy town.

The three were now in La Push, heading towards the bonfire which Quileute pack members were seated around. Haven's hand was interlocked with Jacob's, it was obvious that she had an amazing day spending it with two of her favorite people, but that didn't mean that she was totally at ease due to the potential Volturi threat that had been plaguing her mind.

She was still yet to tell Jacob, or any of the wolves for that matter. Haven knew they had a right to know but she hated people worrying about her and she knew as soon as she told her boyfriend, that things would start to crumble. The pair had only just gotten back on track, everything would change if he were to treat her like glass - which was exactly what he would do if he found out about the Volturi. Truth behold, there was nothing that Jacob or anyone could really do about the threat, it was between the Eldridge family and the centuries old coven.

"You sure this is okay?" Bella asked, the three walking closely in step as they approached the gathering, "I really hate being a party crasher."

"Technically you're a council meeting crasher." Jacob stated playfully, Bella then spying who all seemed to be official members of the Quileute council, Billy Black being the only real familiar face to her besides the rest of the wolves circling the burning embers.

Haven watched her best friend's eyes widen as she began to realize what she was dropping herself into, being so close to the Cullen's was instantly making the brunette uncomfortable about hanging out with the wolves, especially at a meeting that she usually shouldn't be apart of.

"Chill out, Bella. I can see the discomfort on your face, we wouldn't bring you here if you weren't welcome." Haven said, although she was nervous as well. She hadn't been to a meeting like this before either and although since she was Jacob's imprint it meant that she was technically apart of the pack, she was also a hunter and that meant the brunette was kind of a threat - although she would never even think about hurting the wolves.

"I should not be here." Bella stopped in her tracks, brown eyes gazing over the intimidating set of people, all of them knowing about her love for Edward and the Cullen's.

All three of them stopped then, "You're okay," Jacob said, "They thought it would be good for you to hear the histories."

"Aren't they supposed to be secret?" Bella questioned, eyebrows raised at the two friends beside her.

Haven sighed, her free hand gripped Bella's arm and started to pull the girl towards the fire, "Stop making excuses, we all love a good secret. And besides, I will protect you if the wolves suddenly turn on you for your choice in boyfriend."

A squeeze was felt through Haven's hand as Jacob scoffed, "Babe, give us more credit. We would so beat you in a fight."

A light laugh escaped Haven's laugh, the sound immediately making Jacob's face break out in a smile, "Whatever you say."

Bella smiled fondly at the two, the obvious connection and love between them made her heart warm. Seeing two of the most important people in her life being happy and smiling, was something that instantly put a bit of pep in her step.

"Seriously, you're welcome here." Jacob told his friend, wanting to get rid of the uneasiness that he swore he could feel radiating off her small body, "Besides, it is the first time that Leah, Seth, Quill and Haven have heard them too."

The three were now in close proximity to everyone, Bella looked up at the two teenagers beside her, "If I had known about this I would have probably dressed better."

Haven looked down at them all, everyone was sporting similarly warm jackets and pants considering the brisk, chilly wind that usually flowed through Forks. Both her and Jacob laughed at that, seeing that if Bella was to dress up anymore then she would stick out like a sore thumb, it wasn't exactly a place for glamorous dressing.

"Jake! Haven!" A voice called, feet running up to join the three. They all looked up to see a young boy eagerly standing before them, seemingly stoked to see Jacob and clearly be here in the first place.

Haven knew that it was Seth Clearwater, she had met him a while back when he first phased as she had been spending a lot of time over at Emily's place, aka Werewolf Central. Seth was only young, his short body seemed tiny in comparison to Jacob's, but like all of the other Quileute's he had similar features including the tan skin, broad shoulders and relatively effortless beauty.

"It's about time you guys got here! Paul's been hoovering the grub but, I managed to save you some burgers." Seth said proudly, his signature happy grin plastered on his russet skinned face.

"Good looking out, bro." Jacob pointed between the younger boy and Bella, "This is Seth Clearwater, Leah's brother. Newest member of the pack."

Bella and Seth shook hands, before the boy looked at the person he felt like a brother to, "Newest, bestest, brightest,"

"And slowest." Jacob concluded, affectionately wrapping him in a headlock before the two began to play fight. Haven's heart warmed slightly at seeing the two together, witnessing how strong the bond and connection was between the wolves in the pack.

Leaving them to their thing, Haven looped her arm around Bella's and the two began to walk to take their spots on the seats provided, it was clear that the legends were about to start and they would have hated to keep the council waiting.

Everyone finally simmered down, Jacob coming to sit by Haven's side wrapping his arm around her shoulder comfortably and Billy began to talk, "The Quileute's have been a small tribe from the beginning, but we have always had magic in our blood. We were great spirit warriors, shapeshifters who transform into the powerful wolf. It had enabled us to scare off our enemies and protect the tribe."

Haven could almost sense the slight discomfort coming from her left, she reached over and placed her best friend's hand in her own to try and bring some sort of easiness to her. Bella's brown eyes glanced over at the huntress gratefully, knowing that she wasn't alone in feeling like a slight outsider - Haven was technically an enemy and because of her connection to the Cullen's, Bella was too.

"One day," Billy continued, eyes looking around the circle of people and also into the fire, flickering and lighting up his face, "our warriors came across a creature. It looked like a man but he was hard like stone and cool as ice. When the warriors teeth finally tore it apart, only fire could completely destroy it. They lived in fear that the cold man was not alone, and they were right."

Haven knew that the war between werewolves and vampires had been going on for a long time, certainly longer than her people had been around. The legend that Billy was projecting to the group had her wondering how hunters were actually created, the origins of her kind. It was something that she hadn't even thought about and now that she had it in her mind, it was something she would have to ask her father about at some point.

Zoning back into what the man was saying, Haven's gaze fastened onto the burning fire in front of her as the story continued, "The woman tore the village apart. Our elder chief, Taha Aki, was the only spirit warrior left to save the tribe after his son was killed.

"Taha Aki's wife could see that he was going to lose against the cold one, so she did something about it. The third wife was no magical being, no special powers but one," Billy's brown eyes looked up from where they had been focused on the ground, a smile appearing on his aging face at the appropriateness for the story being told, "courage."

Haven looked to her boyfriend beside her, the boy seemingly entranced with what his father was saying. He had heard the story before, the brunette knew that for sure, but it was clear to her just then how seriously he had began to take all of the pack stuff. Haven was proud of him, going from someone who didn't really know why they were even a wolf in the first place, to being totally involved with helping his pack strive to what the legends were teaching them; being responsible for the safety of their people and lands.

The word courage resonated with Haven, she saw how the virtues of who she was supposed to be as a huntress and what the wolves held close to them were rather close. Their kinds were both all about protection; the wolves being their people, the hunters focusing on all humans. They were both supposed to be resilient and put other's safety before their own. Maybe this was why Haven had such trouble with the definite lines of what her job was, everything became blurred to her when she realized that she essentially wanted the same things as the wolves; peace and no danger. It was difficult for her to comprehend why the two supposedly couldn't work together and why her father was so adamant on them being monsters when their values were almost identical.

"The third wife's sacrifice gave Taha Aki long enough to destroy the intruder, she saved the tribe." Billy concluded, dark eyes still roaming around the circle as he directed the message of the story onto all of the listeners, "Overtime our enemies have disappeared, but one remains. The cold ones." Coming to focus on Bella, Haven could feel the girl shrink beside her, the elder seemingly making it obvious who this part was directed at.

"Our magic awakens when they're near, and we sense it now. We can feel the threat in our blood, something terrible is coming," Unsuspectingly, it was the huntress opposite him across the fire that was now the focal point for Billy's stare, "and we must be ready. All of us."

It frightened Haven as she stared into Billy's eyes, she had no idea why she was the one to focus on at that point. It could have been a simple coincidence, his gaze seemingly finding hers randomly at the time he said the final message of the legend, or maybe he meant to stare. A shiver ran down Haven's spine at the thought of him knowing about the Volturi threat, but how would he have even found out? Somehow, Haven knew that if Billy knew then it may be public knowledge, although no one else seemed to take notice of his eyes finding hers during the end of this story. Maybe she was just overreacting, but the thought of Billy knowing made the situation so much more real to her, as if it could happen in the blink of an eye.

Thinking back to the story of the third wife, maybe Haven could use a bit of courage if she was to face the most powerful vampire coven. Come to think of it, the huntress is probably going to need alot of it.

---

Silence.

That was all Haven's ears picked up once she stepped foot on the familiar floor boards of her home after she had just parked in the driveway from her trip to La Push. It wasn't a calming silence either, it had an airy feeling to it as if it wasn't a natural sound.

Grasping her phone out of her pocket, the brunette unlocked the device to see that it was only just after ten pm, there was no way that her parents would be in bed at this time. Slowly reaching for the dagger that her father kept in the cabinet beside the front door, Haven gripped it in her slim hands before beginning to walk forward tentatively.

Her body was on full alert, combat boots stalking forward leading her towards any sign of danger as adrenaline began to start kicking through her body. A tiny bang sounded from the kitchen, the familiar noise on the counter top sent the girl swiftly to move towards the only sign of suspicious noise.

Haven's eyes widened, the situation in front of her immediately taking her off guard. Strong hands wrapped around her arms, forcing them to twist around to her back, the knife falling and clanging to the floor as the huntress lost all grip on her only defense weapon. A groan of pain escaped her mouth, the force and brutal strength of the person securing her was unlike anything the brunette had felt before.

This didn't stop her from looking however, the scene in front of her was too baffling and fear striking for her to ignore. Bound and gagged, her parents were secured in the grips of a female. Blonde hair was pulled tight against her head in a bun, the distinct color of vibrant red was found in her eyes and a sinister smirk took a hold of her face. The red rimmed robe hung down off her short body, waves of black material cascading down to the ground.

A Volturi member. Haven distinctly remembered the robe from a picture she had seen, it was a hard thing to miss.

Without having much time to asses the health of her parents, Haven could instantly see the already swelling skin around their faces before a large, gloved hand was covering her mouth. It was lucky this was done, the scream that was going to erupt from the brunette was now caught in her throat at seeing her parents in discomfort and danger.

"Do it, Alec. We need to get them home." The girl chimed, voice void of all emotion apart from the overwhelming sense of power.

Right after that was said, before Haven had a chance to process any of this or even have a thought about what she was able to do in her defense, an immense pain thudded on her head. Something had knocked against it, the excruciating ache instantly travelling right down the girl's body as she was pulled into a state of darkness and unknowing.

---

well, shit is hitting the fan basically.