CHAPTER 44

Isla's POV

When they let me go, I could hardly believe it.

How could I? The last few days had been a whirlwind of accusations, cold glares, and isolation. They all looked at me as if I was a murderer. And the rumors... They reached out to me even if I was locked. When I thought, things would get even worse, I was suddenly released due to lack of evidence. Without a word of explanation for how I was no longer convicted, Adrian’s men simply escorted me back to my house.

The relief I should have felt was overshadowed by confusion and guilt. I still didn't know what had happened to Stefan. What had changed? Or did Adrian find any new evidence?

I had to know.

As soon as they left me at the door, I ran, my feet carrying me straight to Adrian’s office. I needed to know the truth. Stefan had been my only friend in this wretched place. How could I enjoy this freedom or rest without knowing what they had done to him?

I burst through Adrian’s door, barely catching my breath. He was busy with some file work, but he stood up as soon as he saw me. For a second, I was too overwhelmed to see him. But soon, I realized why I was here in the first place.

"Adrian, where is Stefan? What happened to him?" I asked, glaring at him, my fists clenched at my sides.

Adrian's face darkened, his eyes blazing with irritation and jealousy. He stormed over to me in a blur. Without a warning, his hand wrapped around my throat in a tight grip.

"Stefan?!" he snarled, his voice dripping with venom. "You are still asking about him? Why are you so bothered by another man, Isla?"

I gasped, scratching at his hand, trying to break free from his hold. "Adrian, stop!" I barely managed to say. He was too strong for me.

He scoffed, his eyes full of disgust. "Why? So that you could run away with him?"

"What?" I tapped, breathlessly.

"Isla... You still haven’t explained to me why you were planning to escape with him," he growled, his breath hot and furious against my skin.

I struggled against his hold, and my voice choked. "Why would I do that? Stefan is my best friend, my only friend before Lucas showed up, Adrian! You are constantly humiliating me by saying such disgraceful words! Our relationship is pure."

His grip tightened for a moment before he shoved me back, letting me go. But I was still close enough, as he loomed over me, his eyes full of rage.

"Your best friend?" he spat. "The same man who’s been caught conspiring against this pack?"

I staggered backward, feeling helpless. "Stefan would never betray the pack!" I cried out. "He is not a traitor! He is not what you are making out of him."

Adrian’s eyes flared with something dark and twisted. "The evidence against him is damning, Isla. But you are still supporting him blindly. Why?"

"Because you didn't try to investigate it properly, Adrian!" I shot back with equal ferocity.

"Well, he has already agreed to leave the pack. That should be something." He sneered, glaring at me.

My heart dropped, the words hitting me like a punch to the gut. "Leave...?" I whispered, my voice shaking. "You are banishing him?"

"Of course. He is lucky I am letting him go alive," Adrian said coldly, not trying to hide his anger and bias against Stefan. "You should be thanking me for not executing him on the spot."

A wave of emotions crashed over me; anger, fear, and the unbearable weight of injustice. "This isn’t fair!" I shouted, my voice breaking. "You are misusing your power. How can you banish him without a proper investigation? Have you forgotten why even Stefan is an orphan, Adrian? His parents gave their lives for this pack! He doesn’t deserve to be punished like this."

Tears blurred my vision, spilling over before I could stop them. Everything I had been holding in, every feeling of being wronged, isolated, and misunderstood, poured out in those tears. Stefan had been my only ally for years, the only one who didn’t look at me like I was a burden, a failure, a misfit, or a shadow of my sister. And now, even he was being ripped away from me.

But then unexpectedly, Adrian froze at the sight of my tears. His hardened expression faltered, and for a split second, I saw his eyes going softer for me. He stepped forward slowly, hesitantly. But before I could react, he reached out to gently wipe the tears trailing down my cheek.

"You are crying for him?" he muttered, almost to himself. His voice had lost its edge, and there was something raw beneath it, something that made my heart twist.

Adrian’s POV

Her tears cut through my fury like a blade. One second I was burning with rage and the next second something inside me flipped. Jealousy churned in my chest, but I couldn't bear to see her hurt.

I couldn’t stand the fact that she was crying for another man. I hated it. Still, before I knew it, I was already whipping her tears. I wasn’t sure if I was comforting her or myself. My hand lingered against her cheek longer than it should have when she looked at me with her tender, vulnerable eyes, as if pleading with me to stand by her.

When had she begun to matter to me so much that I couldn't even withstand a single drop of her tear, even if it was for Stefan? I was supposed to be focused on finding out the truth about Elara’s death. Well, that was my mission from the start. Nut now I was no longer so sure. Along the way, Isla had become the center of everything.

Every moment she questioned me, defied me, ran to Stefan or Lucas... it broke my heart and stirred my wolf restless. I couldn’t stand the idea of her being close to anyone but me. And eventually, I was more focused on making her life miserable than finding the truth.

I clenched my jaw, torn between anger and envy. "Why, Isla? Why him? Why are you always defending him?" I asked, my voice softer now, but still full of pain.

Isla stared at me, wiping at her eyes but standing her ground. "Because Stefan has always been there for me," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "When everyone else doubted me... When everyone else saw me as just the cursed twin, Stefan didn’t. He believed in me."

The bitterness burned hotter. "So that’s it? He is your knight in shining armor now?"

"Maybe. He is my friend. He has been my only support." She snapped, frustration flaring in her eyes.

And there put up a high wall between us again. The jealousy twisted in my gut again, making me feel miserable. But this time, it wasn’t just about Stefan. It was about how I couldn’t reach her, how she always seemed to slip further away from me.

I stepped back, trying to pull myself together. "Fine. You are forgetting he is suspected to have killed Elara. Keep defending him and the pack will turn on you too. And I won’t be able to protect you from that."

She didn’t say anything, but the look in her eyes told me enough. She would always defend him. No matter what.

And that, more than anything, made my heart ache.