Chapter 3

Nathan extended his hand toward Isabella. “Come home with me.” The scene faintly overlapped with their first meeting four years ago. Back then, it was in this very spot where a wounded Isabella, driven out of her home by her mother, had curled up in despair. Nathan Hill, a powerful werewolf, had appeared in her life like the dawn breaking through the darkness. His werewolf instincts had been drawn to Isabella's unique scent, a scent that was both innocent and full of pain.

Naïve and inexperienced, Isabella had been drawn to his kind and compassionate face. Without hesitation, she followed him.

“Sir, why me?” 

Though young, Isabella understood that nothing in the world came free.

Nathan, burdened by his thoughts, took a moment before replying in a low voice, “It has to be you.” But what Isabella didn't know was that Nathan's werewolf pack had a hidden agenda. They had been searching for someone with Isabella's bloodline, a bloodline that held a special power that could benefit their pack. Nathan had been tasked with approaching her, and he had done so with a heavy heart.

She didn’t know that he had painstakingly sought her out, going to great lengths to approach her. In her innocence, she mistook him for a benefactor and believed she was just another of the many impoverished children he had helped. She trusted him so easily.

“Sir, thank you for giving me a home. I’m very hardworking—I can cook, do laundry, sweep, and mop… I can do so many things.” 

Nathan gave her a faint glance. “I’m not looking for a housekeeper.” 

“Then how can I repay you?” 

“You really want to repay me?” 

“Yes. Even a small kindness deserves a great return.” 

Nathan smiled knowingly, his werewolf nature hidden beneath his charming exterior.

Now, looking at Isabella curled up again, Nathan, who had spent four years with her, could easily deduce her reason for returning to Rainbow Bridge. This was where they had first met. By instructing Ezekiel to bring her back here, wasn’t she signaling her desire to return to the point before she met him? A faint, bitter smile tugged at Nathan’s lips. 

“Did you regret meeting me?” 

Isabella didn’t respond. 

Her wounds, reopened after the chase, had soaked the chiffon dress on her back with blood. She was using all her strength to suppress the pain. As a werewolf, Nathan could smell the metallic scent of her blood, and it sent a jolt of concern through him.

Nathan reached out to gently touch her head, but Isabella slightly tilted her head, avoiding his hand. 

He sighed almost inaudibly. 

“Isabella, I’ll make it up to you.”

At that moment, his phone rang. Picking up the call, he heard Moore’s father’s anxious voice. 

“Nathan, you must come quickly. Victoria became agitated after learning about Isabella’s disappearance. The doctor says her condition is relapsing. Please come and calm her down—she only listens to you.” 

Nathan’s expression turned grave as he ended the call, his worry for Victoria unmistakable in his eyes. But as a werewolf, he could also sense that there was more to Victoria's condition than met the eye. There was a strange energy surrounding her, an energy that was similar to the one he had felt around Ezekiel.

“Isabella, your Sis just had surgery and can’t handle any stress. I need to go to the hospital to check on her. Stop causing trouble and go home with the assistant.” 

Standing up, he instructed his assistant, “Take my wife home.” 

He didn’t notice how Isabella’s body had gone limp and pale, nor the way she seemed far from okay.

Nathan drove off in his Rolls-Royce Wraith. As he drove, his werewolf senses were on high alert, trying to make sense of the strange events that had been unfolding.

In less than half an hour, Nathan arrived at the hospital and entered Victoria’s ward.

“Nathan, does Isabella hate me for taking one of her kidneys? Is that why she ran away?” 

Victoria threw herself into his arms, crying bitterly.

Nathan patted her trembling back, carefully sidestepping the issue. “Victoria, don’t overthink it. It was her choice to donate the kidney. You don’t need to feel guilty.” 

“Does she hate you, too? Hate that you married her but gave your love to her Sis?” 

A wave of irritation surged within Nathan. In a tone that felt less than genuine, he replied, “She’s easily satisfied. Having the title of Mrs. Hill is enough for her—she won’t care about what she’s lost.” But as he spoke, he couldn't help but think about the strange changes in Isabella's behavior and the mysterious power that seemed to be at play.

“It must be because you’ve been spending too much time with me lately and neglecting her. She’s just acting out.” 

Victoria’s tears fell like summer rain—sudden and fleeting. 

Moore's father, looking at his beautiful daughter, was filled with pain and anger. His voice carried none of its usual kindness. 

“Isabella is too inconsiderate. Victoria just barely survived, and now she’s making a scene, scaring Victoria like this. How can she be so thoughtless?” 

Nathan cast a chilling glance at Moore's father. “Don’t forget, she just had surgery herself. This is her first time acting out. Let her be.”

Moore's father was momentarily taken aback, a flicker of guilt passing through his eyes before he awkwardly laughed it off. 

“She’s physically strong; she’ll be fine.”

Nathan shot him a sharp glare, silencing him instantly. But as a werewolf, he could sense that Moore's father was hiding something. There was a secret lurking beneath his words, a secret that could potentially change everything.

Victoria clung to Nathan’s hand, her eyes red from crying. “Nathan, haven’t you thought that three people in a relationship are one too many? You took Isabella’s kidney for me. Even if she doesn’t say it, she must feel hurt. Why not divorce her? You don’t love her anyway. You love me. Marry me, and we’ll make it up to her. Please?” 

Nathan subtly pushed her away. “Victoria, I’ve told you before, I won’t divorce Isabella. She’s not well, and I have to take care of her for the rest of my life. This marriage isn’t something I can give up on my own.” But as he spoke, he knew that his reasons for staying with Isabella were more complex than he let on. There was a bond between them, a bond that was deeper than he had ever realized.

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over Victoria’s head. Sniffling, she said, “Nathan, you’ve fought and triumphed in the ruthless business world. Surely you’ve wronged countless people. Why, when it comes to Isabella, are you so insistent on keeping your promise?” 

Nathan replied, “Business is business—an eye for an eye. But Isabella… has never wronged me.” But as he thought about Isabella, he couldn't help but wonder if she was hiding a secret of her own. There was something about her that had always intrigued him, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Victoria broke down in tears. “Nathan, if I had known saving my life would cost me you, I wouldn’t have taken Isabella’s kidney.” 

Nathan said, “Victoria, the world is fair. You may have lost love, but you gained a second chance at life. And Isabella, though she lost a kidney, gained the title of Mrs. Hill.”

His face darkened as he left, defeated. But as he walked out of the ward, his werewolf instincts were telling him that the situation was far from over. There were secrets that needed to be uncovered, secrets that could change the fate of everyone involved.

Victoria sobbed into her hands. “It’s not fair. None of it is fair… How can I live without you?”

Moore's father quickly comforted her. “Oh, my sweet girl, don’t cry. Seeing you upset breaks my heart. Don’t worry—I’ll talk to Isabella. I’ll make her let Nathan go.”

Victoria stopped crying, nodding slightly. “You’re right, Dad. Nathan values integrity and won’t break his word to Isabella. But if we can make Isabella give up on him willingly…”

“Yes, yes. I’ll figure something out. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure you and Nathan are together.”

At the Hill family villa, Nathan returned home. Yet the lively, cheerful “Hubby!” that used to greet him was nowhere to be heard. 

Feeling unsettled, he frowned and asked the maid who opened the door, “Where’s my wife?” 

The maid took his coat. “Sir, Madam has been acting very strangely today. Since coming home, she locked herself in her room and hasn’t come out. We called her, but she didn’t answer.” 

Nathan glanced up at the second floor, startled. 

“I’ll check on her.” As he made his way up the stairs, his werewolf senses were on high alert, preparing for whatever he might find in Isabella's room.