Ryan’s warning sticks in my mind for the rest of my shift.Stay away from James.There is something about that threat though that sticks to me even deeper than most would. Because there was feeling behind those woods. He truly means it.He knows there’s something between James and I. He knows and he hates it. And it’d be so stupid and dangerous to meet with James tonight, even though I already agreed to.Ryan has shown his loyalties of course lie with James. If we’re caught, I’m the one who’s going to pay the highest price. Yet, I still take extra time getting ready that night. I pick out a simple, light blue dress that I hope will catch the moonlight. I do my hair. I apply light makeup.“You’re really going to meet with him after everything?” Sharon asks, as she looks me over.“I have to,” I say. “Despite everything, he is my mate. I have to go to him. I’m drawn to him. It feels like fate. And I did already agree to meet with him.”She shakes her head in disapproval but she d
“It’s them,” I say. “I recognize that howl from when they captured me before. It’s them. It’s their pack.”I panic. Did James set me up? Is that why they’re coming? Did I put myself and Ben in danger because I was blinded to the kind of person James really is?“Maybe they’re not after us,” Ben says, though his voice is hitched in worry. He scans the trees around us.It’s all too clear they’re coming though. The howls are getting closer. They’re going to find us and who knows what they’re going to do to us this time.“Hide,” Ben orders in a low voice. “I’ll distract them. You hide.”“I can’t let you do that,” I protest. “This is happening because of me. I can’t…”“I mean it, Isabel,” he interrupts me. “You need to listen. I’m dead serious about this and I’m not going to fight you on it.“I’m faster. I’m stronger. I’m your older brother and I’ve already done so much to protect and take care of you. Don’t let that be in vain now. I need you to hide.”I think of everything he’s tol
The cold of the night settles in once the pack leaves. It reaches through my skin, into my soul. And I stay there much longer than I need to so I can feel safe. I probably stay there much longer than I should.The pact was extra terrifying this time though, so I can’t get it out of my mind. I worry that if I leave, I’ll run into them and who knows what they’ll do to me this time. Who knows what they’ll do to Ben.I stand, deciding that if I’m captured, at least maybe I’ll be brought to Ben and we can deal with this together. This will all be better if we can do this together.Of course, I know that if I’m going to save him, I’ll have a better chance at doing so if I’m not in chains. So, I want to avoid capture if I can.I will save him regardless. If I have to, anyway.As I walk back to my house I think about if I really will have to save him. The pack caught me and they didn’t harm me. They just put me in a cell and then let me go.That has to be the case with Ben as well. Sur
JAMES’S POV“Just come with me,” I say, hoping she’ll follow me without too many questions. This decision has already taken a lot out of me. It’s already difficult to even think about doing this. I don’t have the strength now to answer questions. It’s too draining. “Why?” she asks, because of course she does. “Where are we going?”“Just trust me,” I say. “We don’t have time to go into it right now. And if I’m being honest, I still have to fully think this through. I still need to come up with the perfect words to say because it is a pretty big risk.”“A big risk?” she asks. “What we’re doing is risky?”“Of course, it is,” I reply. “Saving Ben’s life is going to come with a risk. But I know how much you love your brother. I know you’re willing to take risks to save him.”“More than willing,” she agrees, just as I knew she would.“Exactly,” I reply. “So, let’s go. We don’t have much time.”She follows me out of the house and into the woods. Then, we shift into wolf form an
“Excuse me?” the Alpha asks.For the first time ever, Ryan and I agree. I can’t even fathom it.James has just threatened to leave the pack if Ryan doesn’t release Ben and let us be. And I can’t quite wrap my mind around that. This is what I’ve wanted, but it can’t be happening. I never thought it’d actually happen.“It’s the way things have to be,” James says. “I love Isabel and I refuse to hide that for any longer. I refuse to lie to you. I refuse to deny my mate.“And since I love her, I very well can’t be the Beta to a pack that executes her brother. She would never forgive me for that and I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t forgive myself either.“Ben was only there because of Isabel and me. If anyone is going to be punished, it should be us. This is all unfair and I won’t stand for it.”Silence follows as Ryan noticeably tries to grapple with all of this. I can understand why it’s a lot for him. It’s a lot for me too, but it’s so extreme that it has to work.It has to work. I ca
“I don’t want you to leave the pack,” Ryan says. “I want to avoid that at all costs. So, I’m going to let Ben go.”The relief I feel at those words is incredible. My body sags. The adrenaline leaves me.He’s going to let Ben go. He’s going to be safe. That’s what I care about most right now. My brother isn’t going to be executed due to my actions.“Isabel can’t live here,” Ryan continues. “She can’t stay here because it’s against some very important rules. She may be your mate, but she is also a rogue and you have to recognize that some difficulties come along with that. It’s just how things are.“However, I know that you’ll let this pack go before you’ll let her go, so I’m not going to even ask you to consider such a thing. I’m not going to pit this pack against Isabel.“Rather, I’ll let you two live in peace. And we can work out ways that you can see each other without breaking pack rules. I don’t want to keep having these discussions. I don’t want to have to keep dealing with t
“Just be careful,” Ben says, before I leave the house the next day. “I’m really happy for you, I truly am. But be careful, okay? I’d hate to see anything bad happen to you.”“I will be,” I promise him. “I already know how awful it feels to even think about anything bad happening to you. I don’t want to have to give you that same feeling towards me. I’m going to be super careful about it.”“And you’ll remember what I said?” he asks.“Of course,” I reply. “I can’t forget it.”That part is a little too true. I can’t forget what Ben said to me about Ryan. It follows me as I get in my car to drive to the pack’s territory.Ryan is predisposition to hate me and it makes so much sense because he did jump to the worst possible punishment when Ben was captured. He wants us dead because his father hated our family. His father killed my father.Yet I also think of the fact that I’m only able to go to see James now because Ryan is allowing it. He’s allowing me onto pack territory which is unh
“It really has been wonderful meeting you,” Helen says as she gives me a hug. “I’m so impressed by your strength, your willingness to work hard and never give up, and you dedication to your family.“I’ll be honest when I say we’ve all heard some things about your family that haven’t been fully great. They may have colored our perception of you, though we’ve tried to cast that aside to get to know you.“I’m glad we have. I’m glad we didn’t stick to old bias because I can tell you’re a wonderful young lady.”“Even more importantly,” Garrett says, worrying me. He’s certainly the toughest one of the bunch, “you make our son happy. That much was apparent right away.“We’re incredibly proud of him anyway for becoming Beta of the pack. That’s a high honor and we’re grateful that our son achieved it. “But we want him to be happy more than anything else. So, if you make him happy, and it seems like you do, we’re more than happy to welcome you into our lives.”“And maybe even someday into