CHAPTER 23

~~~ ISABELLE ~~~

As soon as the call disconnected, I knew I had to start moving, or else it'd be too late. It was already too late. I didn't have a good feeling about it. I had to pack my stuff and get rid of all the hardware I couldn't take with me. I couldn't risk it falling into their hands. That'd be a major disaster.

I already had systems in place to deal with such kind of situations. I permanently stored the important hardware in the basement where I had the explosives installed. It was easier that way, but my brain felt like scrambled eggs today.

Especially after that feverish dream about Damian and the phone call with Aiden.

It was all I could think about, and my wolf's longing wasn't helping me in this situation at all. It felt like I was at war with myself, as if my wolf and I wanted different things. This was the first time I was in a conflict like this. It rarely happened before, but those brothers had done this to me. Especially Damian.

Damian

My wolf howled inside me, calling for him. She wanted to be with him so bad that it hurt. I tried to remind her of what he had done in the past, but that didn't matter to her much. She had craved a mate for so long that she would accept someone like Damian. It made me feel pathetic, heightening my contempt for Damian.

I suppressed her emotions and focused on the present. I needed to leave soon because I had a feeling they'd come looking for me here one way or the other, especially after the phone call. They must've found some way to track my location.

I opened my wardrobe and hurriedly stuffed my clothes into a duffel bag. I wasn't going to carry much. If they somehow managed to find me, the last thing I wanted was to be caught with something that'd give them an edge over me.

The only things I took were the clothes, cash, and my ID. After that, I started taking the rest of my hardware to the basement. All my data was stored on a server in another location, so I didn't have to worry about losing everything. I always ensured there was backup.

After moving everything into the basement, I started working on the explosives. I had them installed by an expert once. However, this was the first time I was going to try them.

I checked everything before turning on the timer.

My heart throbbed painfully as I watched the countdown start on the screen. I took a last glance at my stuff. It was such a shame I had to get rid of all my things, but it was for the best.

I could hear the time ticking away as I locked the basement door and raced upstairs. I had ten minutes to leave the building and reach a safe location. I grabbed my bag and checked everything once before leaving the place I called home for the past few years.

It wasn't much, just a run-down two-story house that I had gotten from an old couple.

I walked out of the woods and was about to leave when I heard a car in the distance. I froze. It was a one-way street. My house was at the end of it. Up ahead, the road continued for a kilometre before unexpectedly breaking off on a cliff.

It didn't take me more than a second to guess who could be coming this way. I turned around and ran into the woods, seeking cover. I hid at a distance from the house, but it wasn't safe from the explosion.

However, the ticking bomb left my mind when I thought about the brothers, especially Damian. He had finally managed to find me. My wolf was happy about it. She wanted to be hunted down and mated like they used to do in the old days. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her.

Thinking logically wasn't her forte. Her only focus was on Damian and being found and mounted by him. I focused on the situation before she could drag me into her steamy thoughts filled with Damian and all the delicious things he could do to me.

I couldn't see much from where I was hiding, but I heard the car stopping on the road, followed by footsteps- three.

Soon, a man came into view. I didn't know his name, but I knew he worked for the brothers. He rounded the house, searching. In the distance, the birds started chirping loudly, trying to warn the woods against the wolves.

I swallowed hard. I didn't have to see to know that they were here- the brothers. The so-called Alpha Masters.

I glanced at my wristwatch and frowned. It had been more than ten minutes, yet the explosion hadn't happened.

This wasn't a good thing, especially since they were here. If the bomb didn't go off at all, then I'd be in big, big trouble, but at the same time, I couldn't go there and check because they were already there and... the bomb. Maybe it was delayed somehow.

I was mentally cursing myself as I held my breath and waited. I caught a glimpse of Damian heading towards my front door. My heart fluttered just by looking at him, but I forced all the emotions away. I needed to focus.

He knocked on the front door and waited. My wolf was anxiously pacing inside me. Damian was in danger. If the bomb went off, he'd get severe burns.

My wolf didn't like this.

She was mad at me for placing him in danger, and to some extent, it made me feel guilty and more anxious.

I couldn't help but move closer to the house to see what happened. The basement was at the back of the house, so the explosion's maximum impact would come from the back.

There was a back door to it, and I was considering slipping through there and checking on the bomb. I knew it would be dangerous, but... I had nothing to lose. I should’ve thought through this.

This was the first time I had to carry out an important task like this, and there were too many variables I hadn't prepared for. This was very unlike me. Today, I was entirely out of my element and made one mistake after another.

All this was because my wolf was fighting against me. I clenched my jaw and tried to swallow my anger. I needed to focus and stop this situation from getting messy.

I was close enough to the house when I heard

Damian knocked again.

The next thing that I saw was a flash of blinding light before I was thrown back violently against a tree. I hit my head hard against it, and the last thing I remembered was a skull-cracking pain before my world went pitch black.

AUTHOR’S REMARK: Hmm, Isabelle took it a bit too far. What do you think? Drop your comments and support for us to continue.