ISABELLA
While my brother angrily watched Zira dance with Hunter. I left and went to his room to look for Victoria. It was empty. Where the hell is she? I angrily walked back to the party, and then it hit me. Like times before, the smell of sweet pea and vanilla invaded my nose.
"Mate is near," my werewolf Jas purred. &nbs
ISABELLAI stared at Victoria with my mouth slightly open. "Victoria...""This is my home now, Bella, and I don’t want to run away again," Victoria said as she approached me and grabbed my hands. "We don’t have to run away."
ZIRA This felt like a dream. I had dreams like this before. Usually, I’m in the woods surrounded by the smell of pine and oak or on the beach listening to the sound of the waves. Then he would appear and pull me into a hot, steamy embrace. Then fireworks and a happy ending. I was sitting on a soft California king-sized bed surrounded by a sheer black canopy this time. That’s when I saw him walk out of the bathroom. Isaiah. There was so much steam covering him that, for a second, I thought it was coming out of his skin. I watched him walk over towards another door. Maybe a closet. He had nothing but a towel around his waist, leaving very little to the imagination. I could feel the lump in my throat as the scent of cinnamon and pine tickled my nose. Then it disappeared as quickly as it came. My heart raced so fast I thought it would jump out of my chest. I wondered if he could hear it. Could he feel my eyes preying on his body as he moved across t
ISAIAH I felt a headache throbbing against my head. Then, slowly, I opened my eyes and saw a blur run out of my room. Who the hell was that, I wondered as I looked around and noticed I was lying a few feet away from my bed. Naked. How the hell did I end up on the floor? I took a minute to stabilize myself before slowly getting up off the floor. "Not our mate. You should be ashamed," Devon growled. "Yeah, well, where were you last night? I didn’t hear you stopping me then," I snapped back. He growled at me inside my mind and disappeared. Good, I didn’t need his mouth right now. There was a knock on the door, and with each one, my head felt like it would split. "Breakfast is ready, sweetie. Come downstairs," my mother yelled. I dragged myself to the bathroom and showered as I tried to remember the events from last night. The last thing I remembered was going to my room and showering. Then there was a girl waiting for me on my bed. I returned to my messy be
ZIRA It’s official. I’m a COWARD! It’s been a week since the party, and I avoided Isaiah the entire time. I never got my papers, so now I’m stuck here like an idiot. I was never going to be able to leave, which my mom was happy about. Isabella could tell I didn’t want to discuss it, so we filled our time with her upcoming nuptials and ways to kill her mom. Yeah, she can be crazy. While building the courage to get my papers, I continued training in the woods. It was one way to work through stressful times and escape my problems. Most hunters use the bushes or trees to hide, but I like to use the trees. It gave the best advantage, and no one ever looked up. I was lounging in the tree near my favorite place in the entire territory. A small brook ran off a cliff into a large river below. It ran along the land bordering four pack territories with trees as far as the eye can see. I was lost in thought when I heard rustling nearby. Instantly I went into a defensive stance, w
ISAIAH Three weeks later I left the bathroom and noticed Zira sitting on my bed on her phone. Immediately, the memories of our passionate night came flooding my mind. Not right now, not right now. I focused on controlling my urges as I prepared for this arrangement with Alpha Zack. There were a few details about this marriage arrangement we had to iron out before signing this little treaty between packs. After some studying, I knew he needed this more than we did. Recently, his pack has been subjected to frequent attacks. With our help, we could make it non-existent. Thanks to my dad, my warriors were thirsty for some action. I rushed to my closet before she had a chance to look up and put on some boxers and a tank top. She smiled when I walked to the bed to get my jeans. "I think I finally convinced your diabolical sister not to poison your mom’s tea," Zira said, standing up. "Yeah, is that all she was planning to do," I asked, knowing my sister had a plan b an
ZIRA After the moment on the cliff, we were almost inseparable. Well, as much as we could be between his Alpha duties and my training. For the first time, I understood what a mate’s bond could feel like. Even far away, I could close my eyes and feel him. And if, by magic, he would send me a cute text saying he’s thinking of me. Occasionally, we would find ways to meet at our cliff for a long-awaited make-out session befor
ISAIAH The moment she kissed me, nothing else seemed to matter. Everything felt right in place. No one existed in the room but us. I pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. I wanted as much of her as I could get. "Ahem," my mother interrupted loudly. "Well, isn’t this a twist of events?"
ISABELLA My mother glared at me as I ran from the table. Knowing her, she wouldn’t mind if I followed through with Alpha Zack’s proposal so she could plan a weird double wedding. Just the thought makes me sick. I headed to my room to get my phone and bumped into Victoria. She was coming from my room with a box in her hands. Her face was stained with old tears, and her eyes were full of new ones. Jas whimpered in the back of my mind. I knew she missed Victoria’s werewolf, Rae, as much as I missed Victoria. She finally noticed I was staring, and she quickly wiped her face. "Picking up the last of my stuff," she said with an attitude. Even her angry face was cute to me. "I’ll get out of your way and let you plan your wedding." She picked up the box and went for the door, but I blocked the way with my arm. "You don’t have to leave, Vicky," I said, running my hand down her arm. Inviting those sparks I had longed for, for weeks. "I’m not getting married anymore." She looke