Chapter 7

Caroline shouts and I panic. With no time I wrap my arms around the base of the trunk as the branch falls and hangs on by a thread. With my heart slamming against my chest, I frantically try to reach for another branch but I begin to slip down the trunk. "Oh my god, Isabella just hold on!"

The bark scratches against my hands and arms while my eyes stare harshly at the hard ground. Below me, I spot another branch and I know I have to descend down to it. Caroline tries to hurry up but I continue to slide, not being able to grip on.

Finally, my feet barely touch the branch and I stop myself, letting go of the trunk. My hands and arms sting and I look to see scratches, dirt, and blood. "I'm bleeding!" I shout to Caroline and she curses.

"Does it hurt bad?"

"It should, but the fear of telling Eric is keeping me from feeling it!"

"Olivia, help her down!"

Olivia climbs down and assists me by making sure my feet are stable and by keeping me in place. Using my hands to grab onto the branches makes tears water in my eyes. Finally, I reach the bottom and Caroline looks at my arms. "Oh god, I'm going to be in so much trouble," she panics. "This was a bad idea and I'm so so sorry Isabella. This is all my fault."

"It's okay, I just want to clean this up."

As we hurry back to the pack house I cannot help but question Olivia in my mind. Did she really think that the branch was strong enough? Then again she would have no reason to lie, why would she want to hurt me? I barely know her.

"He should be at the borders so the house is probably empty," Caroline says and takes me to the door.

"I should go, I have training," Olivia calls to us. "I hope you get better Isabella."

I thank her and she heads down the path.

Once inside, Caroline takes me to the kitchen and scavenges through drawers. "Do you think Eric will be upset with me?"

"No," she answers, "I'm sure he'll only threaten my life. I promised him we wouldn't go in the forest, but I didn't think this would happen. I feel like an idiot."

"Don't, I can take the blame."

She stops searching and looks up at me. "He won't believe you, Isabella, you're too... Good. You're like the sweetest person I have ever met, not a rebel."

I sigh and stare down at my throbbing hands. "I'm the one who fell, it's my fault."

"No, Olivia told you the branch was okay, and I don't think it was," Caroline looks down. "I didn't want to blame her but..."

"So she made a mistake?"

Her eyes avoid me. "Isabella, there's probably something I should tell you. Before Eric became Alpha, he and Olivia had a thing. They thought that they were going to end up being mates, but when they didn't Eric broke things off. Olivia was heartbroken and I think she's jealous."

I swallow. "Oh," is all that seems to leave my lips. How could she purposely want to hurt me? Jealous or not that is just, just horrible. I sigh and bite the inside of my cheek. "I should clean my arms off."

"There's a first aid kit in the bathroom, I'll go get it," Caroline says and leaves me alone in the kitchen.

I turn on the sink and run the water over my arms, washing away the dirt and blood. I feel out of place like I do not belong here. The history between Olivia and Eric, missing my sister, feeling horrible for abandoning my pack in a time of need: It is all too much.

"Here." Caroline gently drys my arms and cleans them with disinfectant, which hurts like hell. I bite my lip and she carefully wraps them up. "Eric's obviously going to ask questions."

"I'll put on a long sleeve for now and hide my hands."

She sighs, "no, I have to take what's coming for me, I always do. If you get in trouble too just know that it won't last for long. I doubt he could stay mad at you because of the mate bond."

I nod and she packs the first aid kit back up. "Thanks for helping me." I motion to my arms and she says it was no problem at all. "And thanks for telling me about Olivia and Eric."

"You deserve to know, but you don't deserve Olivia's acts of jealousy."

"I would feel hurt too, so I forgive her," I say. "Having grudges will not help me transition into this pack."

"Eric should be back any minute and I should go see my mom, but do me a favor?"

"Anything," I tell her.

"You're too good for him, so just let him know that okay?"

I smile and hold back laughter. "Okay, I will."

Caroline leaves and I wonder into the living room to look around. First I spot a picture hanging up on the wall of a family. I realize the family is Evangeline, Caroline, Eric and a man, taken when Eric was a child. The man must be his father because he is handsome just like Eric, and with similar features. Evangeline is so gorgeous, then and now. They look like the perfect family, but even I, a stranger to them, knows that is probably not true.

My family has a similar picture hanging in our living room, it was taken when my father was still alive. Kendra was so young back then. Oh how I miss her dimples when she smiles at me and her laugh, and I'm sure she's missing me too.

"Isabella?"

I turn around and see Eric standing behind me. I didn't even hear him come in. "Hi, I was just..."

"Your arms, what happened?" He rushes over and lifts my lightly bandaged arms up gently. "Tell me you didn't."

"We went out into the forest and I tried to climb a tree like Olivia and Caroline," I admit, even though he already knows. "I slipped and scratched my arms and hands on the bark, and a little bit on my leg too. It hurt but I'm okay."

"I want to be angry with you," he says and I look up at him. "So badly, but I can't stop thinking about you feeling pain."

Breathing out, I bite the inside of my cheek. "Don't get upset at Caroline, it wasn't her fault."

"It was all your fault?" He asks, not believing me but playing along.

I nod. "It was all my fault. The injury could have been much worse so I'm grateful for these scratches."

He lets go of my arms and they fall to my side. "I'm sorry for following them, I knew it was wrong. You told us not to go into the forest and..."

"I told Caroline not to take you there."

"She's a great person." I smile and think back to what happened earlier. "She cleaned me up and wrapped my arms. Even though she made a mistake she didn't run away, she helped me and that means a lot."

Eric takes a moment and he looks at me. "You don't think like other people Isabella."

"That's okay with me," I mumble and stroke my bandaged arm with my bandaged hand. "I was just looking at this picture." I motion up at it.

Eric looks over it and I can't help but ask, "is that your father?"

"Yes, his name is Sebastian."

"He looks like you," I tell him. "You all look so faultless."

I glance up at him to find him still studying the picture until he looks down at me. "You haven't eaten all day, are you hungry? Or did you and Caroline eat?"

"No, but I'm not hungry." He gives me a concerned look. "I'll grab something later, but I think I'll shower if that's okay?"

"Okay, just come down and eat something after."

I nod and head upstairs as he walks into the kitchen.