Chapter 27DAMONThe leather couch in my office felt like heaven the moment I collapsed face-down onto it, every bit of my body was aching from over exertion and exhaustion.The meeting with the Japanese investors had dragged on for three hours longer than was scheduled and it was filled with a lot of strenuous and nerve wracking negotiations about shipping routes that they wanted to use from us and distribution networks channels that could have been resolved in half the time if everyone involved hadn't been so determined to posture and waste my afternoon.Thorne, my head of security, was lying down in the chair across from me, looking equally drained as well. There wasn't any fight left in him. We'd been working hard to deal with the increased levels of territorial disputes that were happening underneath the human eyes, not just that, but also business acquisitions, and pack politics for twelve straight hours, and I was looking forward to nothing more than going home to Isabella and
Chapter 26ISABELLAMy heart broke at the guilt in his voice. He was punishing himself, thinking that he was responsible for me and I didn't like that one bit. I had to do something."Lucas, sweetheart, come here," I said, patting the bed beside me with my good arm.He climbed up carefully, his little face was filled with remorse. "If I hadn't run away to get the apple, the wolf wouldn't have found us. And I should have protected you instead of letting you get hurt.""Lucas, look at me," I said firmly, cupping his face gently with my good hand so he could meet my eyes. "This is not your fault. Not even a little bit. Do you understand?""But—""No buts," I interrupted him shaking my head. He shouldn't think that he needed to be my knight. I was the one who wanted to save him and I'll do it over and over again. "You did something incredibly brave today, and I want you to know that I am proud of you. When you saw that wolf threatening me, you didn't run away. You stood up to it. You t
Chapter 25ISABELLAThe wolf's eyes sent ice through my veins, but before I could even process what was happening next or figure out how to get myself and Lucas out of this mess, Lucas was suddenly in front of me. My heart stopped as I watched this tiny five-year-old boy spread his arms wide, creating a wall like barrier between the wolf and me."No!" Lucas shouted, his voice stronger and filled with command that made him look older than he actually was."Don't hurt my mama!""Lucas, no!" I gasped, trying to grab him and pull him back behind me despite the throbbing pain in my shoulder, there was no way he was going to stand to it. "Get away from it!"But he stood his ground, refusing to let me pull him away. Was he this strong or was I getting weaker because I was losing blood.I was astonished by this brave little boy who barely came up to my waist, facing down a creature that could kill us both without breaking a sweat. There was something almost supernatural in a way about his
Chapter 24ISABELLAThe desperation in their voices tore at my heart, as I felt bad and guilty abandoning them, knowing fully well the kind of parents that they have.These weren't my children—I had no legal claim to them, neither do I have the right to make any decisions about their welfare. But I'd been the closest thing to a mother they'd ever known, and the thought of them being scared and hungry while their parents consciously neglected them made me miserable."Listen to me very carefully," I said, my mind working double the speed to come up with any solutions that might help them at the moment.I couldn't storm in there and take the kids, but I could help by making sure their hunger was not a problem anymore. "I can't come back to the house, but I can help you right now. Are you still hungry?""Yes," they said in unison."Okay, I'm going to order some food to be delivered to you so that you can eat, is that alright? What do you want?""Pizza!" Tommy said immediately, lighting
Chapter 23ISABELLAAfter Damon hung up the call so he wouldn't miss his next meeting. I couldn't help but curse his PA small for interrupting. I had heard her clearly over the phone and I felt sad but only for a moment. Just because Damon had to work, didn't mean that he didn't like spending time with me. Thinking back over his words to me on the call. I found myself standing in the middle of the garden with a ridiculous smile on my face, my phone still pressed against my ear, as if I wanted to will him into calling me back. The warmth in his voice when he'd said he was looking forward to coming home to Lucas and me had sent butterflies dancing through my stomach.But then reality crashed back in, and I shook my head firmly, chiding myself for being so foolish.He was just being polite, I told myself. Kind. The way any decent person would be to someone in my situation. Trying to read more into it, trying to see it in a romantic way would only cause me more trouble just like the on
Chapter 22DAMONThe dismissive way she spoke about herself made my wolf snarl with anger but I knew that it wasn't her fault. Years of habit wasn't going to stop in one day just because she was no longer Max thumbThis was going to be an ongoing battle with her until I managed to convince her that what Max had done to her, training her to believe that her wants and needs were insignificant, that she should apologize for existing was wrong. But I wasn't going to stop until she knew it hersel."It is important," I said firmly, my free hand gripping on tight to the mahogany table in front of me as I felt the wood breaking a bit under my fingers. "You're important, very important. And I want you to know that you can call or text me anytime, for any reason. Work can wait." I insisted hoping she would take me up on this.."I just..." she paused, and I could hear Lucas talking to someone in the background. "I wanted to cook dinner for you tonight. As a thank you gift for everything you've