I tried my hardest to shake what Maggie said, but it seemed to always be at the back of my mind.
We paired off in twos; Alexander thought it would be best if he didn’t pair with me, as he didn’t want people to be staring at me. Though, it didn’t matter. As soon as we appeared in the doorway leading outside, everyone’s eyes were on us. Not just because of the Hunter who left the Guard, but because of the ‘dead’ alpha heir.
“Presenting Alpha Alexander, his Beta James, Gamma Adam, and Alpha Heir Isabella.” The man from earlier announced our arrival. Alexander’s usual suave demeanor was replaced with a cold one, and he made it clear that he was not someone to be messed with.
I held onto Gabe for dear life as
Eventually, everyone gathered at the table and waited for our meals to arrive. I was surprised that Alexander had decided to sit on the other side of Gabe. From my understanding, he made it very clear that he didn’t want to be associated too close to me, trying to make me less of a target than I already was. I believed it was because of Lachlan’s actions earlier at the bar, but I wasn’t sure.“Tonight, Isabella will take her Alpha oath.” Adam began to explain, “as will Mary. There will be a second one on the last day where all the new wolves take their oaths in front of the King and Queen, making them loyal to them.” I shivered. I did not want to be anywhere near that woman, let alone have to pretend to want to be loyal to her or her husband. “When does that start?” Mary asked, making Adam check his watch. “Soon. It goes from c
The rest of the night went by rather quickly, my head spinning from the number of times I was greeted by people who were excited to meet me. Some were merely excited to meet the future Queen; others knew my family and wanted to extend their happiness to me; I lived. By the time I finally made it back to my room, I had been floating the entire time and had just managed to come back to earth. I plopped on my mattress, kicked my shoes off, and rubbed my face. I thought Alexander said he didn’t want me and him to be associated with one another. What changed? Had something I had done made him think differently? Had I done something to change his fate and not known? “So…” Gabe trailed off, sitting on the edge of his bed. I turned to him, watching as he puffed out his cheeks, “Congrats?” He raised his shoulders, making me scoff. “On what?” “Your engagement?” I sighed at his words, laying on my back and staring up at the ceiling. “I thought you said that Alexander didn’t want us to be known
I sit there, staring at my friend, who was choking on her blood, as the Queen scoffs, “Too weak. She’d never make it as Queen.”“I agree, Your Majesty.” one of her guards replied. The Queen sighs, “Now… We should leave. I’m certain her mate will be here any moment.” With that, they left the room, closing the door behind them. I sat there for a moment longer until I was sure it was clear, then scrambled out from underneath the bed, “Isabella.” I cried, hot tears running now my cheeks. “Ga-Gabe.” She whimpered, “What are you doing-” She began to protest but stopped when I put my hands over her wound to try and stop the bleeding. She was pale and already going into shock. I knew this didn’t look good; what if her vision of Alexander was actually about
Alexander was talking behind me in a hushed voice with one of the doctors, not that I was listening anyway. I stood by the window, arms crossed, staring out the window at the rolling landscape of Scotland. I chewed my lip, feeling very overwhelmed by everything. My body ached, and I knew why; I had been nearly killed again. The most frustrating thing was that no one knew what happened or who was behind it. The only two that knew were Gabe and me. But Gabe was currently in a self-induced coma from some sort of trauma that he had sustained that night. I couldn’t remember anything leading up to being attacked; the blood loss I had sustained, paired with my heart stopping, was the most likely cause of my memory loss. “Thank you.” Alexander murmured, making me turn to see the man shaking my fiance’s hand before leaving us
I felt a hand on my shoulder, “Hey, quit stealing my thunder.” I sit up, blinking. Gabe is sitting in bed, an oxygen tube attached to his nose. “Gabe-” I began to say before he held his hand up. “Before you start, I don’t want to hear it.” He grumbles. His light-colored eyes were glazed over slightly, a sign that he was on pain medication. Gabe scooted over in his bed, patting it, “Get up here.” He sighed as I shifted to squeeze beside him.He wrapped his arm around me, “So,” he trails off, squeezing me, “we almost died.”“Again.” I grumbled. “The first time wasn’t real, we were just overdramatic.” We laughed softly together. “We shouldn’t have drank that much,” I reply quietly. He scoffs, “R
I sat there, staring at Lachan blankly. “Uh, yes?” I made a face at him, “Why?” Lachlan shrugged, “Mates don’t typically just toss their mates against walls like that… That’s all.” He shrugged again, leaning back in his chair. I shook my head, “Don’t change the damn subject, Lachlan. You can’t just gloss over telling me that you and Alexander are half siblings-” “I can and I will.” He tutted, shaking a finger at me. “Besides, like I said, it’s not a fairytale story. Besides, Alexander is the only one who even partially accepts me as his sibling.” He revealed. My face fell, “His other siblings don’t like you?” “They're threatened by me. Alexander and I were only a few months apart, I was nearly heir to their pack. Though, it took years for our father to learn of my existence. It’s one of the reasons he and Amelia hate each other now. More so on Amelia’s end.” He laughed, shaking his head, “Regardless, Alexander is still older than I am. Amelia just hates me because I’m a bastard chi
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
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