76:Isla’s POVA wave of exhaustion washed over me, the events of the day weighing heavily on my mind. For a moment, I imagined what it would be like if Dario was all over me like Silvan was. For one, I would probably not even be at the academy anymore. I would go to all his functions with him, I would trail behind him anywhere, happy to just be in his presence. I knew that was the bare minimum. I knew I had no standards whatsoever, but I did not care. Nima made me shameless. Of course, blame the wolf. I chucked at the thought of my wolf rolling her eyes at me. I was exactly like Silvan- a complete simp for Dario. Speaking of Dario, I tiptoed into the building and quietly shut the door behind me, hoping with all my heart that I did not bump into him. I honestly was not ready to face him right now. I just wanted the comfort of my room. “Isla…” someone familiar called behind me, and I turned around, my weariness melting away at the sight of Diane sitting on the couch, her face etched
Isla’s POV With flour dusting our cheeks and sauce smeared on our aprons, Diane and I giggled like schoolgirls as we tossed pizza dough in the air, attempting to recreate the perfect circle.It took a good amount of pleading to get the Italian chef to release the ingredients for the pizza. He had insisted he did not want us messing with his ancestral meal. And seeing his expression from where I stood, I knew we were not getting the circle right and it bugged him. I told Diane who guffawed and made faces at the chef. He tried to force a smile which made us laugh all the more. Our laughter mingled with the smell of melting cheese and sizzling toppings, filling the kitchen with a sense of warmth."Okay, Diane, let us see who can make the best pizza!" I declared, a competitive edge creeping into my voice as I surveyed the array of toppings spread out before us.Diane grinned back, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You're on, Isla!" she replied, rolling up her sleeves and diving into th
Isla's POV.Sitting on the bare floor in the cemetery my face red and scrunched up as hot torrents of grief coursed down my face“Why did you have to go Dad? Why mom? Now I feel alone, I feel abandoned." I wailed, my voice coming out in cracky shrieks.I saw shadowy silhouettes make their way to me from a distance. The hue of the approaching dawn making it hard to see. In no time, they were in front of me and I was happy. I knew I was. I had wanted to smile, but my lips were stiff and the tears still fell down in torrents. What was happening? I could barely make out my mom's face. I could not be blamed though. She had left me when I barely had memory of anything or anyone. But I remember how she smelt, the faint scent of vanilla that teased my senses was forever etched in my mind. I guess it contributed to my unhealthy addiction to vanilla scented perfumes, candle and anything there is. “You could have stayed longer with me, Mom. I needed you, you know.” My bottom lip quivered as I
Dario’s POV I heard her voice before I saw her.Isla.“Hey boys,” She said to my guards and walked into my study.I pushed away the tray and cleared my throat. The maid rushed in, picked up the kettle and plates, bowed, and walked out. “Dario,” She said in a calm tone. I gave her a stiff nod and looked away. Her eyes followed the maid with the tray and it softened. I observed her look and said, “Have you eaten? I can get her to make something for you,” “I have. I have eaten.” “Good,” I looked down at my files and began to try to work.I read the sentences over and over again but the words refused to stick to my head. All my attention was on her and her movement.She shuffled on her feet. Stared at me. Cleared her throat too but I did not look up. “Dario,” She called. I paused looking through the papers when she continued. “How are you?” The softness in her voice does not only thug at my heart, it also made me realize how much I had missed her. So I do the next best thing.Put
Chapter 80Isla POV “I agree.” He said that and looked back to his files. I flinched, feeling a little hurt but getting the message at the same time.He was waving me off. He was dismissing me.So I let myself out. I stomped down the hallway, back to my room. I tried to keep my emotions to myself but it was hard.One of his guards raised a brow at me as I marched out but I did not bother to look in his direction. I entered my room and slammed the door shut. I threw myself on the bed, grabbed the nearest pillow, and screamed into it.It was annoying.It was frustrating.It made me so angry.I was standing right there and he did not make any effort to look at me. He did not even try to glance at me.“He barely even said anything directly,” My scowl deepened as I remembered all we talked about was Kate. Nothing more and nothing less.I walked to my mirror and stared at myself. I patted my arms and ran my hands down my curves. “Is something wrong with me? Am I that undesirable?” I sho
Chapter 81Dario's POV.The number of files stacked on the table significantly reduced as I put finishing touches on each of them, proofreading and cross-checking where necessary. It had been a while since I was able to get such amount of work done so the dopamine rush i got was second to none.There were just few files left, and when the door twitched. "Who is it?" I asked, not bothering to lift my gaze from the paper i was reading."It is Jonas, alpha. Can I come in?" His voice sounded from the other side of the door."You were already about to, weren't you?""I am sorry alpha." He pleaded, finally landing a few knocks on the door."You can come in." "Thank you sir," He entered wearing an unreadable expression, making it difficult for me to pin point the reason he was here."Is anything the matter?" I queried, my curiosity getting the best of me."Kyle is here," he announced. "He just returned." He added, possibly noticing the shift in my mood."Take over for me, I was almost done
Chapter 82Dario's POV"You can not disgrace me, Dario. Before you do that, I will make sure to make a fool out of you first." Brenda's words echoed in my head. What did she mean by that? Did she know something? Or was she probably just bluffing? Towering above her, I could see strands of her hair sticking into her mouth. She looked crazy. "What are you saying?" My voice was dark."So I finally got your attention," she laughed maniacally. "Answer me this minute, Brenda... what did you mean by that?" I would not let her ruin my reputation and my hardwork. “Well…” she tilted her look as she stared me in the eyes. “I happen to know a couple of your secrets…” she grinned. “…and I would not really mind sharing them with the elders.” She could see my brain racking, struggling to figure out what she meant. Was it about Isla? My hands tightened. She dared not. I would not let her drag Isla into our mess. “But I have just one condition to make this all go away.” She waved her arm in the a
Dario's POV.Pushing back my encounter with Brenda, I had met up with Kyle who left soon after he dropped off some documents. The air blew hot in the study where I had spent the last couple of hours going through the materials judiciously. I had researched through a couple of books hoping to find answers as regards to Isla's condition. Was this perhaps the answers we had been looking for? I muttered, sitting up and reaching for my pen to circle an article that had piqued my interest. I had seen something familiar in another book but I just could not figure out which of the books. I had been reaching for the stock of book in the "HAVE READ" pile, when my phone rang, interrupting me as I dropped the book resignedly, I picked up the phone when I confirmed it was Jonas calling me. "Jonas,” I acknowledged as I placed the phone on my ear, picking up the book I had dropped. “Speak." I inquired, eager to go back and continue my research on the book."It is about Brenda, alpha.” He broke