THE TRUTH

  The fire crackled warmly in the cabin's hearth, casting golden light across the elegant faces of Isabel’s children. The storm outside had long since faded into a hush, like the world itself was holding its breath. Within the safety of the Denali home, the air shimmered with old magic and the unmistakable pulse of reunion.

  Isabel sat in the rgest armchair, her presence luminous despite the shadows that danced around her. Her fingers drummed idly on the hilt of her bde, but there was no tension in her posture—only peace, contentment. It had been far too long since she was among her children, and now, with their eyes fixed on her, she felt whole.

  Tanya was the first to speak, disbelief and curiosity swirling in her golden gaze. “Rosalie... Hale? The blonde Cullen? She's your mate?”

  Isabel allowed a slow smile to touch her lips. “Yes. Unexpected, isn’t it?”

  Irina looked genuinely stunned. “We’ve known her for decades. I would’ve never guessed. She always seemed so... proud. Cold.”

  “She is both of those things,” Isabel said, her voice touched with warmth, “but underneath it all, she’s something else. She’s broken and fierce. I saw her soul—and it mirrors my own.”

  Carmen let out a soft ugh. “The woman who threatened to rip Eleazar's throat out when he tried to read her to see if she has any gift?”

  Isabel raised an eyebrow, amused. “She threatened him?”

  Eleazar shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. “It was a tense moment.”

  “She's passionate,” Isabel said, clearly unbothered. “And protective. And angry. But she’s also mine.”

  Kate folded her arms and leaned back into the couch, electricity crackling faintly at her fingertips. “You’re serious. One of Carlisle Cullen’s adopted vampire children is mated to you—the Matriarch of the Denali and six other bloodlines. Creator of demons. Queen of Shadows.”

  “Funny how fate works, isn't it?” Isabel said, crossing one leg over the other with regal calm.

  “Does she know who you are?” Irina asked. “The aura around you—it’s unmistakable. You're not just a demon.”

  “She didn’t question it,” Isabel said. She only knows that I'm a demon, nothing more."

  Tanya tilted her head. “So... she doesn’t know yet. About us. About your true bringing.”

  “Not the full truth,” Isabel admitted. “Not yet. But she will. When she’s ready.”

  There was a moment of silence as her children absorbed the weight of her words.

  “You love her,” Carmen said softly.

  Isabel didn’t hesitate. “With every part of me.”

  Kate snorted. “Well, that’s going to make things very interesting when the other Cullens find out.”

  Eleazar added, “Especially Carlisle. He won't take kindly to losing one of his 'children' to a demon queen.”

  “I didn’t steal her,” Isabel said, her voice a velvet threat. “I saved her. and besides," Isabel smirked. " I kill Carlisle and that idiot Jasper."

  All the Denalis gasped. What! They all shouted in surprise.

  "You have to tell us what happened," Kate said in excitement.

  Isabel began to tell her story from when she met Rosalie until the present events.

  They deserved it Kate said, folding her arms as the others agreed.

  Tanya stood and walked to her mother, gently resting a hand on Isabel’s shoulder. “You deserve this. After all these centuries… You finally found your other half.”

  The emotion in Isabel’s eyes softened. She reached up and took Tanya’s hand in hers, squeezing it gently. “And I finally have you all back. It’s more than I dreamed.”

  Irina smiled shyly. “You always said we weren’t meant to live in Hell. That we could build something different.”

  “And you have,” Isabel said proudly, looking around at each of them. “You’ve endured. Survived. Thrived. You lived as you wished—and I’m proud of you.”

  Kate looked toward the window, her voice more serious now. “Victor’s still out there. Are we to stay hidden, or are we preparing for war?”

  Isabel’s smile faded into something darker. “For now, we stay quiet. Rosalie is still healing. But once she’s strong again… she will know everything and victor fall.”

  “And who she truly belongs to,” Tanya added with a sly grin.

  A flicker of fme danced in Isabel’s palm. “Exactly.”

  The fire roared in the hearth as if echoing her vow. Around her, her children exchanged knowing looks—the calm before a storm they would face together.

  But tonight was not for battles. Tonight was for family.