I sat down at the wooden table, watching as he moved to the window, scanning the woods. Something of a habit I had found between both Alexander and James was they were always watching their surroundings. “There’s a legend that there’s a ghost wolf in this part of the forest.” He began to say, pulling the chair out with his free hand, “It’s a story that we tell the younger kids at bonfires so that they stay near the packhouse, but there is some truth to the story. There have been sightings for years of a wolf that patrols the woods, one minute you see him, and the next he’s gone. Poof! Like a ghost.” He raised his eyebrows as he said ‘poof!’, before shaking his head, “It’s said that he’s searching for any with a ‘dark heart’. Cursed and can no longer return to his human form until he finds the one th
“What do you mean?” I asked, making James lean into his chair. “Something changed in Alexander that night… For the worst. Something in him broke; it was like his sanity was gone. After he shifted and gained his real strength, no one could stop Alexander.” James sighed, his voice dropping low.“Being alpha and being a part of the Hunters was too much, and despite what he wanted, he had a duty to his pack. So, he tried to leave. The King didn’t like that very much but allowed him to leave, under one condition. Complete his last mission, and he would be free of the Guardsmen to be an alpha. Little did Alexander know what that mission would be…” James took a deep breath, “When you’re given a mission, you aren’t told who or what you would be killing. Alexander didn’t care; he only desired to be free of the King&r
Two more days came and went without a word from anyone. Not even James came back around, so I was left alone for an unknown amount of time. I had gone through the cabinets and freezer, discovering that I could very well be up here on my own for at least another month before I ran out of supplies. That’s not what worried me though, it was the fact that no one had come back here to check on me, to make sure that I hadn’t been kidnapped or worse. Maybe there was some truth to what James had said and maybe everyone was too afraid of coming near here. But, in my small journeys around the cabin in my boredom, I hadn’t smelled anyone, no wolf from our pack or the neighboring one had been near this place in ages, or in fact, ever. The only one I smelled was James and myself. I didn’t know if that scared me or made me feel some sort of comfort, but at least I knew I wouldn’t be having any visitors soon, outside of maybe James or Alexander coming back to take me home. I wondered what was s
For a while, there was no reply. I began to think maybe my most recent dream had come true, and Alexander was gone. The white wolf watched me with weary eyes as I paced the cave. “I have to go back! Alexander could be dead!” Alexander is a smart man. He’s most likely too busy or around people that he cannot reply to you. I sighed, flopping onto the straw bed I had woken up on, “You’re not helping. Whatever your damn name is.” I grumbled, running a hand through my tangled hair. Graham. “Well, Graham, you’re not helping.” I rolled my eyes, holding my head in my hands. So it’s true. You two are mates. I didn’t reply for a moment to Graham. Then I glared at him in suspicion, “How do you know? I thought you were some folktale.” Graham shifted to move closer to me, lying a few feet from me. Alexander used to come up here a lot before you came around. He calls me his therapist. I call him mine. “So, it’s true. That you can’t shift back into a human? Or did you never have a hu
I laid there for a while, feeling this chest rise and fall. I contemplated going back to sleep, but I couldn’t. “Why were you so angry with Graham?” I whispered, knowing that there was a chance Alexander was not asleep. “Graham is my dark secret. He’s not supposed to reveal himself to anyone. Not only could het get me into trouble, but he could die.” Alexander rumbled behind me. So he wasn’t asleep; he was pretending. “Why? Why can’t he be here with us?” “I was supposed to kill him. But I couldn’t. So, my solution was to put him somewhere and use him for the benefit of the pack. The southern part of our territory is too far away for us to patrol daily, since our pack is the largest on the east coast. Between that and the fact the pack below us doesn’t patrol that far anyway, I struck a deal with the Alpha and said tha
I stayed outside for the rest of the day, watching as Alexander trained with everyone individually, working on what needed to be worked on, to make his fighters better. I didn’t know how many more opportunities I had to watch him be the best Alpha; I wondered if I could ever be that great of an Alpha. I took a deep breath and stood to my feet to greet Alexander after he finished with Elora, a younger female who had recently shifted. “Good footwork today, E.” Alexander wiped his forehead as she beamed at him, perhaps batting her eyes a little too much. I made sure to make my presence known as I walked around her, “Didn’t have anything to do today?” Alexander tossed me that oh so familiar lopsided grin as he used his shirt to wipe the sweat out of his eyes. “No. Adam didn’t feel the need to do our last class since we have to get ready to leave in a few days.” I shrugged.
Maggie and I spent most of the day sitting at the lake. The only reason we went back was because our stomachs were growling.“It just takes some time. He’s still healing from it all. It doesn’t just go away.” Maggie said, squeezing my arm as we walked through the grass of the back lawn. “I know… It just doesn’t seem fair, is all.” I grumbled, making her sigh. “I know, but, sometimes it isn’t about being fair. It’s about doing what’s right.” I didn’t reply as she walked into the house, leaving me to stand in the doorway for a moment. I bit my bottom lip before following her inside.Gabriel was sitting across from Mary, who was excitedly sharing her plans at Council. Oh, to be blissfully ignorant of what was to come. I thought to myself as I pulled the chair out beside Gabe. He turned to me, “Oh, hey.” He nudged me, “Your dresses for Council arrived earlier.
The next morning I woke up and noticed Alexander was gone. I sighed, sitting up to the side of the bed and sat there for a moment. I couldn’t decide to wait and go next time; I had to do this now. I couldn’t look like a coward to that woman. She, who killed my family, and was responsible for my entire life, is so messed up. Not just my own, but her damn husband made Alexander miserable and ruined his life. I was grateful that Alexander would never be like him. I kicked the blankets off and went to the bedroom door, hearing a noise in the hall. Adam and Alexander spoke in the hall about who would be riding in what car and the plan after that. Alexander had a briefcase in his hand, “I think Maggie should stay here,” Alexander shook his head. “She hasn’t been to Council in years. She just wants to see everyone.” Adam shrugged, “I don’t see how it hurts anything.” “She’s not supposed to be there. It could mess up sleeping arrangements.” Alexander huffed, “She should have asked soone
Thank you so much for reading my book! I hope you've enjoyed it and are looking forward to book! I hope everyone will come back to read the next book! I am happy to have finished writing this book heh. It's been a long year, with lots of trials and tribulations. All the while, I have managed to update at least, twice weekly. Anyway, I wanted to extend my gradtitude toward everyone who has read my book. It means a lot, really.Until next time!What will Isabella get up to in the next book... :) I can't wait to share When the Night Calls Your Name with you all very, very soon! Keep an eye out for it!
I watched as Maggie began to fall, but I caught her before hitting the ground. “Maggie,” I whispered, looking down to see a vertical slash in her abdomen. “Hey there.” She chuckled, grimacing. I felt blood warming my thighs as I cradled her. “What were you thinking-” I began to say but she stopped me. “I couldn’t let you come in here empty-handed,” she patted the pocket of my slacks. I followed her hand to feel something inside. I frowned and dug inside the pocket to feel cool metal against my fingertips, “Maggie, you didn’t.” “Alexander’s always prepared. So this time, I came prepared. Call it a mother’s intuition.” I pulled out the metal bracelet that I had given her as a kid. “Nothing in the rules about regifting, bitch.” Maggie raised her hand to the Queen, flipping her the bird. She laughed to herself before grunting, coughing up blood. “The barrier will be up in a few minutes, j
I watched as a blonder version of Alexander appeared, “Alex! You gots a boo boo!” a cute toddler announced, small hands appearing as they clasped the air, “Up!” Alexander grinned, reaching down and sweeping me into his arms. Alexander looked to be about 23; he was built and rugged, wearing all black then as he did now. The only thing that changed was his physical appearance.“I guess we can play for a little bit before we have to go back. “What happened?” I poked his face, “Oh, I was practicing and fell.” He smiled at me softly. The memory faded and was replaced by other children, “Bella! Come play with me!” A young girl begged, I recognized her face, it was the girl from my vision. “Only if I get to play with my barbie, Margo.” I chastised, “Oh, ok.” The curly-headed girl rolled her eyes, handing
The Council members had left a while ago, leaving us alone to chatter among ourselves. Gabe had come to stand next to us, “Did I say something wrong?” He asked after a while. Adam shook his head, “No. Gabe, you didn’t. Beta Cass just knows when to call his objections.” Adam rolled his eyes, “Cocky prick.”“This could work out in our favor,” Lachlan shrugged, scooting back on the table to grab one of the folders in front of Adam. “if the Queen tries anything inside the circle, then she admits to her guilt.” He murmurs, “if she doesn’t, then she looks guilty as well.”“Wait, wait, circle?” I asked, glancing between Alexander and Lachlan, who looked up at Alexander from under his lashes. “Oh, c’mon. You didn’t te
I didn’t sleep much, but Alexander slept well as he always did. My nerves were shot, and I was nervous. Would the Council reject our case? What would happen if they did? I took a deep breath before moving to the edge of the bed, watching as the sun began to settle below the trees.There was a knock at the door, the sound made me whip my head toward the door. “Come in.” Alexander’s voice spoke behind me. I twisted to see him looking up at me, his arms behind his head. “Hurry and get dressed.” Lachlan’s voice chirped from the entryway. “Court’s starting early. Apparently they have a lot to talk about tonight.” I sighed, climbing out of the bed and going to my outfit that had been laid out for the night. “Night two.” I muttered to myself as I gathered my clothes and headed to the bathroom to get ready.
I followed Lachlan back to the house, unsure of how to feel about anything at the moment. There was a lot that Alexander still was hiding from me, and everyone had told me that there was a reason he did. Including Lachlan. There was truth to what they had said, everything that I had learned, the things that Alexander didn’t want me to know, did end up upsetting me. Like the possibility of my dad still being alive. It hurt that he knew that my dad could still be alive somewhere out there, and hid it from me. What was the reason? What could he want to protect me from that was so important than telling me that I wasn’t alone? That I still had a family?We entered the house, the once lively halls now silent because of the trial happening. Lachlan wordlessly led me to Alexander’s room, keeping whatever smart comments he was thinking to himself. At least he knew there was a time a
The rest of the hearing went by in a blur; I couldn’t think clearly. There was so much information that I had never even known about swirling around my mind that it was difficult to comprehend. The one that hurt the most was that Alexander knew that there was a possibility of my dad being alive and never told me.He knew that it bothered me, and so he tried to speak to me as the hearing adjourned for the night, but I didn’t want to hear it. I shot up from my chair and briskly walked back down the path we had walked up, our pack members who had joined us at Council watching in silence. I was angry. I was hurt. I felt betrayed by someone who shouldn’t have done things to me. I wanted to punch him; I wanted to hit him, I wanted him to feel the way I felt at the moment.I wiped the angry tears that spilled d
I stand in the mirror of Alexander’s room, dressed in a simple outfit. Most of the outfits I had prepared were too formal to wear to a court hearing. So, instead, I opted for a simple blouse and slack combo. Simple and effective. My hair was loose around my shoulders, and I wore basic makeup. Adam insisted I look as plain and unassuming as possible; it’ll look better to the Council. I heard someone shift beside me, making my eyes bounce to the door to see Alexander leaning against the doorframe. He wore a dark blue dress shirt and black slacks, his usual. Something in my heart began to ache, but I wasn’t sure what it was. “You ready?” He asked, his voice soft. I nodded my head, “Yeah….” I twisted to look at him, watching as he held his hand out to me, “Follow me.” I trailed behind him, holding his hand tightly as he guided me down the hallways and outside. A path was lit up by small lanterns guiding us into the forest. It was ominous. Adam was in tow, suitcase in hand, as he followe
As promised, Adam returned a few hours later to break down what would happen later tonight. “I need you to pay close attention, Isabella,” Adam spoke, scooting my bowl of food closer to me. “This trial is very, very, very serious. So we must prepare you as best as we can beforehand.” I shifted in my chair, looking over to Alexander, who was leaning against the window. He nodded his head at me once, confirming that Adam was not wrong.Alexander had petitioned for me to return back to my room. The nurses didn’t like that, but after finding out that not only I was a nurse and that Gabe was as well, they finally let me go. I was still fragile, but I could feel my strength returning gradually. My hearing and sense of smell were also coming back.“Because the Crown is involved with the matter