Edward's POV Once Emmett was calmed with both his mate and Elizabella in his arms, Elizabella began to cry as the weight of everything that transpired hit her fragile form at full force.
Jasper was sending waves of calmness and contentment throughout the room hoping to calm everyone down before full on fist fight broke out.
Renesmee was crying alongside her sister and making grabby hands for her, Jacob was desperate to ease his imprint's distress and opted to take her from Alice's arms and slowly bring her over to her sister. "Sissy! Sissy!" Renesmee cried aloud catching Rosalie and Emmett's attention. Rosalie took her into her other arm and brought her closer to Elizabella. Renesmee latched onto her sister and held her protectively.
Jasper then started focusing on the girls and sent waves of exhaustion to them, coaxing them into a deep sleep. Once they succumbed to his persuasion, Carlisle softly spoke up and said "Why don't we let the girls nap while we discuss this matter in my office?"
Rosalie and Emmett immediately went to protest, not wanting to be separated from Elizabella, but Jasper spoke up and said "We need to nip this problem in the bud now or it will cause more harm to Lily" it was enough to encourage Rosalie to set the girls down in the bassinet where they huddled together in fear.
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I felt my heart break as I realized that I had caused all that fear.
I walked like a zombie into the office where I sat in a spare chair feeling numb, but listened to what Carlisle "I've been researching soul bonds and found something interesting about hybrids. Apparently, they were so hated and rejected by both the human and supernatural societies that they evolved to choose parents that would love and accept them as they were."
I looked up at Carlisle as denial and dread built up in me and I looked to Rosalie who looked confused and hopeful towards our adoptive father.
"While in the womb, Renesmee and Elizabella were able to hear everything we said and were listening to choose their parents. Since only two members of the family verbally defended and fought for their survival they choose them. Renesmee choose to stick with her biological mother and in turn forgive Edward for his past transgressions, Elizabella did not,"
"Instead she chose a different route and selected the second person who defended her; Rosalie" Carlisle said only to be interrupted by Alice who was ready to defend both Bella and I "But why would she do that? Bella fought for the twins since day one, she's their mother!"
Carlisle shook his head and said "It might have to do with Edward's transgressions, or it could be that she saw Rosalie as a better mother for herself than Bella. That, we will never know. However, Bella is not Elizabella's biological mother" Carlisle then pulled out some papers from his desk drawer and allowed me to read them first.
They were DNA papers....showing that biologically Rosalie was Elizabella's mother.
"While in utero Elizabella altered her DNA to match Rosalie's and Emmett's genetic material. Bella was nothing more than a surrogate and incubator for Rosalie and Emmett" Carlisle explained "But that's not fair!" Alice started only to be cut off by Jasper pulling her back and me asking "Is there a way we can undo it?" Carlisle shook his head and said "No, she's already been born, and the soul bonds that she and Rosalie and Emmett shared are far too sacred to even try to undo."
Carlisle sighed and sat down as if he was exhausted before asking "How much do you all know about soul bonds?" We all remained quiet as the only thing that we all knew about them was that any external interference was off limits to any and all supernatural beings. Carlisle sighed again before going into detail "There are exactly three different types of soul bonds" he holds up three fingers to demonstrate.
"One; There is an imprint bond which we know about from the wolves" Carlisle nods to Jacob who perks up at the mention of something he's both passionate and familiar with "The imprint bond is the most flexible of all the soul bonds, it can either be platonic or romantic depending on the people involved and their personal circumstances and decisions. The imprinter is usually subservient to the imprintee and often times takes on the dominant role in the relationship and becomes a protector."
"The second, is the most famous and most commonly known example. The mate or soulmate bond. No one knows where it came from or how it happened, but many suggest that soulmates are the product of either a gift or a punishment from god or the gods where one soul was split into two. This bond is always romantic and one half of the pair has traits and characteristics that the other lacks. For example, one is patient, optimistic, and bubbly while the other is impatient, pessimistic, and grumpy."
Carlisle the gestures to Emmett and Rosalie as they are the best example of soulmates, currently.
"Both the imprint and soulmate bond have the possibility to be polyamorous, but that is extremely rare and only heard of in at least half a dozen cases in the past millennium."
"Now onto the final soul bond, and the one most pertinent to our current situation" Carlisle said causing everyone to lean in with rapt attention.
"There are familial bonds which is strictly platonic and separated into two categories; One, the sibling bonds which we are familiar with," he then gestures between Rosalie and Jasper before turning to Alice and myself "Which is focused on more sibling specific relationships than anything" he then returns to the explanation that we've all been waiting for "The second familial bond, is the parental bond."
My heart sank as I listened to his explanation "These bonds are created through nurture and care. They can exist between biological relationships or emotional relationships just like a sibling bond, and involve a protective instinct, but unlike a sibling bond there is the key factor that determines the difference between the two" he looks around before saying "The parental bond is about caring and nurturing for one that is younger than yourself. A sibling bond is more like a best friend, but a parental bond is a caregiver."
Carlisle paused to give us a moment to absorb everything he's told us, I frowned when he didn't bring up blood singers in his mate explanation, but I'll ask him about it later, Elizabella is important right now, not Bella.
"Instead of forming a parental bond with her biological parents, Elizabella formed them with Rosalie and Emmett and altered both her appearance and DNA to match them. Once these bonds are formed the parents can still reject the child-" Carlisle briefly looks at Emmett and Rose "But the child will never be able to go back to their previous parents, and will be forced to find new ones. If the child doesn't find new parents that accepts their bond, then the child will simply die."
Silence fills the room as we process this new information. We always knew that mating and imprinting bonds were deadly in cases of rejection, but it seems as if these new bonds were just as if not worse. Could I really force Elizabella to find new parents? Could Rosalie? I looked up at Rose and received my answer.
