Chapter Three

Isabella’s POV

I must of had a decent sleep once I eventually managed to settle down as I woke the next afternoon with a clear head but yet my heart still felt heavy. It felt like this every time I woke in all honesty, I knew it was because of the bond. Being apart from my mate really was starting to slowly destroy me. This had been going on for nearly four years now and it was fours years too damn long! I cursed at my moon goddess for having to put us through this!

I was so enraged at her when I first realised my mate was in fact a vampire. Why us? Why wasn’t my mate another werewolf like every other wolf I know? Why had I never heard of this kind of bond before? No one had ever spoke of a vampire and werewolf being mates in all our history. This shit just didn’t happen.

For as long as I can remember I’d always been raised to believe vampires were cold blooded killers, whom wasted their immortality just feasting on everything in their sights, humans, animals and even us werewolves too. And yet here I was loving my very own vampire mate. Jax just didn’t seem to fit that kind of stereotype though or maybe I was just being naive because of the bond.

Since my twentieth birthday when I ended up tracking him down again we’d been meeting up in secret and sneaking around for nearly a year now. I was going to be turning twenty one in just a couple weeks. We had always been so careful but all this secrecy was really getting to the both of us, especially me.

I just wanted us to finally be able to be happy together. I know a family of my own was not a possibility with him but I was fine with that. I had accepted it and was ok with the idea of just having him in my life. I wanted to go home to him every night and for us to be affectionate with each other when ever I liked. I so badly wanted to claim him as mine and finally mark him. I wanted the whole world to know that he was all mine. And I wasn’t afraid of killing anyone that even attempted to touch him and get in my way either. He was the most beautiful man I knew, his blue eyes were so charming and I knew that many women crushed on him. How could you not?

I couldn’t mark him though, if my pack ever found out they would most certainly kill him for it. We would become a laughing stock as I’m pretty sure no one would even believe us. And as for my father, Alpha Leon, he would certainly kill me too. I know I’m his daughter and next in line but that would be even more of a reason to do so. I would become an embarrassment to him. But regardless either way I wouldn’t be able to live without my mate, our broken bond would rot me from the inside and I’d be left for dead any way. So I needed to find a way for us to some how work…

Suddenly my father burst through my door, snapping me out of my thoughts of Jax. I was so sure he’d sniffed something out as normally he knocked. But surprisingly he seemed as though he was in a good mood. ‘You all ready for today kiddo?’ He asked.

‘What’s happening today?’ I replied, confusion was written all over my face.

‘Feast day!’ He said, well almost shouted actually, probably annoyed that I’d forgotten. I’d been so busy stuck in my own little bubble that I’d totally forgotten that it was hunting day today.

Although times had some what changed we were still very traditional in everything we did, we continued to always follow in the footsteps of our ancestors. We were so much stronger this way, and we knew that even though we lived amongst the humans and did very humane things to blend in,

so not to be hunted, we still needed to feast on raw meat. Some packs no longer abided by this though, they were the weaker packs. They were scared of the human hunters.

There were so many different packs across the world not just in our small town of Haling Cove and each pack also had their own hierarchy to it. The Alphas are the ones who lead the pack, they are the strongest and most important and are born in to this title. Their pups will go on to the continue the line, which is what will be expected of me.

Next are the Betas, these are the second strongest. The Betas take control of the pack if the Alpha is ever not present.

Below the Betas are the Gammas. The Gammas act like the general and take charge of the warriors. They have the job role of training the pack, ensuring everyone is fit to hunt and ready for any battles that may occur. They create the battle plans but then run it through with the Alpha to have it approved.

The next in line is then the Luna, which is the Alphas mate. The mother figure of the pack whom assists the Alpha with all his duties. Every Luna is expected to be the strongest and most powerful female of the pack.

And then finally, at the bottom of the ranking are the Omegas. They have the kindest souls and are very helpful although they are the weakest. Due to being very weak they are no good at either fighting or hunting so they stay maintaining our homes and cooking the leftover food we bring home from our hunts.

There are also wolves which are referred to as rogues, these aren’t a part of our packs though. We typically don’t associate ourselves with these. They are the lone wolf. These wolves have strayed or been kicked from their packs.

‘Oh yes father, sorry I had totally forgotten. I’ve not long woken up as I’ve been struggling to sleep recently. I’ll start getting ready now and meet you all soon.’ I replied.

For a few minutes he just lingered there by my door, hesitant, even though I’d basically dismissed him.

He then dropped the silence and finally spoke. ‘I also wanted to let you know I have another proposal for you. I was thinking that after the feast this evening it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce you to a fellow wolf from the pack Starry Banes? Their pack resides not too far from ours, just at the bottom of the mountains. He’s a charming young gentlemen and his name is Milano. I’m certain you’ll like this one!’ He said, some what excitedly.

I let out a loud grown. ‘Really father? I thought we were done with all this? Especially since all your past arrangements have ended in utter disaster!’ I replied, annoyed with the fact he kept putting me through these awkward situations. He’d been trying to find me the perfect suitor ever since I’d first shifted, it had been going on for years.

‘I won’t argue with you Isabella. You know I mean well. I just want you to find your mate. I’d especially like it if you had one by your twenty first birthday at least. I want to ensure that you are fit enough and ready to be left to rule the Enchanted Pack. Everything I’m doing is for your future. And besides, me and your mother are wanting grand babies soon, before we get too old! They will go on to inherit everything we have built!’ Well the last part was never going to happen was it, I’d never be able to give them grand babies unless I faked another wolf to be my mate which was something I just wasn’t prepared to do.

I did feel sorry for my father though. I knew he was beginning to grow impatient with me. He was getting older now and it was beginning to show, our pack was beginning to see a weaker side to him, this happened when we aged. I knew he was in a rush to hurry up and retire.

‘Please just consider this one Isabella. The least you can do is meet with him and see how things go, you never know you may just really like him.’ I wanted to laugh in his face because I already knew that wouldn’t be the case but to save an argument from arising I just replied with a simple ‘okay father.’ This was all really going to piss off Jax.

Once my father left my room I began to get ready and sike myself up for this hunt. I knew the whole of our pack would be watching me today, a lot was expected of me now that everyone knew my fathers reign was slowly but surely coming to an end.

Once ready I met my younger sister Clara who was waiting by the front door for me and we both hurried to our meeting spot by the lake.

The majority of our pack was already there, and me and Clara were late as the Gamma of our pack, Finley, had already started his run down on the hunt today. He told us the areas we would be heading in to today, the paths we needed to take to ensure we weren’t spotted by the human hunters and how to avoid where they had set up traps. He also mentioned that we would be meeting up with the Starry Banes pack today and that both packs would be hunting together. Great. My father failed to mention that part to me.

After Finley had finished his pep talk, we all stripped off and shape-shifted into our wolf forms. My coat was a beautiful ash brown with hints of a copper red.

We ran through the woods, down to the bottom of the mountain where the Starry Banes pack resided. I didn’t want any distractions during todays hunt so I didn’t make any attempts to involve myself with them, any talking wasn’t necessary right now and could be done once we got back to our village.

Our packs mingled amongst each other and we headed further north east through the woods, following the route Finley had already pre warned us to take. Not too far in to the route, we halted to a stop as we saw deer tracks embedded in to the mud, I soon after sniffed out their scent and could tell that they weren’t too far from where we were.

We split up enclosing them in to the field where they lay so that they couldn’t escape, not that they really stood the chance anyway, but even if they did try to, oh boy did I love a good chase.

We all quietly got closer and closer to them cautious as not to make ourselves known. Everyone followed me as I took the lead.

I stood focused, everyone was watching and waiting, ready for me to make my first move. When the time was right, I leaped through the field and jumped on one. All the deers tried to scarper but the other wolves followed suit and started killing as many as they could.

I sunk my fangs in to the deer I caught, snapping its neck whilst taking big chunks out of its body. I dropped this one from my sunken teeth once I’d had enough and quickly leaped through the fields ready to take on my next victim that was trying to escape from our grasp.

I quickly caught up with it, crouched and lunged at it forcing it to the floor. I clawed at it and savaged it. I really was going in for the kill today. I was proving myself, purely just to keep my father happy. Once we’d killed all the deers in this field we took off following the rest of Finley’s route, this went on for the next couple hours.

Later that evening both packs met back up at our village with enough meat for the whole of both packs to feast on for a good week. We had done well and could probably skip our next hunting trip. After everyone shape shifted back to their human form, I was praised by everyone. After they’d all changed back in to there clothes of course.

My father walked over to me with his arm wrapped over some guys shoulders. I guessed that he was Milano, he was very tan and tall with jet black hair. He was covered in many tribal tattoos just as I was and I could tell he was a couple years older than me.

‘Ah there you are Isabella, good job today! I am so proud of you, maybe I should let you lead more often.’ My father praised me.

‘Yes amazing job out there Isabella’ Milano agreed in a husky voice.

‘Thank you father, maybe you should!’ I laughed.

‘So this is Milano’ my father finally introduced us. ‘He’s the gentlemen I was telling you all about earlier, his father is Charles a good old friend of mine. I’ve been wanting to introduce you both for quite some time now.’ My father explained.

‘It’s nice to meet you Milano.’ I said awkwardly. His eyes were just fixated on mine, they were basically staring in to my soul. It was making me lose my trail of thought and I didn’t really know what to say. He was attractive, extremely attractive I’ll give him that.

Oh gosh… my mind suddenly went to Jax. I hadn’t really thought of him much today, I was so busy not wanting any distractions during the hunt. And here right now I found myself so wrapped up in Milano and this gaze he had over me that for once in over three years I’d suddenly forgotten all about him.

‘I’m going to leave you two to get to know each other.’ My father smiled. Great, he was leaving us alone, I knew his little game.

‘Meet everyone back here in and hour and our omegas will have finished preparing everyone a feast.’ He said.

My mind went straight back to Jax, if he found out about this he was certainly not going to be too pleased.