She Awakened My Wolf

Chapter 3

Sebastian

I had three rules in life.

Never trust strangers.

Never allow emotions to control me.

And never let a woman become important enough to distract me.

Unfortunately, all three rules were about to become difficult to follow.

Because of Isabella Rose Sullivan

Our new stepsister.

The girl who had walked into our mansion less than twenty-four hours ago and somehow managed to turn our perfectly controlled lives upside down.

I stood in the kitchen, staring at the glass of whiskey in my hand.

My wolf hadn't stopped growling since dinner.

It was irritating.

Actually, irritating wasn't the right word.

It was driving me insane.

Mate.

That stupid word kept repeating inside my head.

I took another sip.

"You're going to drink the entire bottle?"

I turned.

Adrian stood in the doorway, looking far too entertained.

"Do you have a problem?"

"Not really. I just didn't know you were this stressed about having a new sister."

I shot him a glare.

"Don't start."

He walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the counter.

"Alexander is acting strange, you're drinking before noon, and Isabella thinks we're all crazy."

"She isn't entirely wrong."

Adrian laughed.

Then his expression changed.

"Did you hear what she said last night?"

I looked at him.

"Which part?"

"About hearing voices."

I placed my glass down.

"Yes."

"Do you think she's telling the truth?"

"She has no reason to lie."

Adrian nodded slowly.

"Then something is definitely wrong."

I almost laughed.

Something was wrong?

Our wolves had recognized a woman who was now legally becoming our stepsister.

That was more than wrong.

It was a disaster.

I found Isabella in the garden later that morning.

She was sitting beneath a large tree, holding a book while sunlight fell across her face.

For someone who had arrived in a strange mansion the previous day, she looked surprisingly comfortable.

I wondered whether she was pretending.

"Enjoying your new kingdom?"

She looked up.

Her expression immediately changed.

"Oh. It's you."

I placed a hand over my chest.

"Such a warm greeting. I'm touched."

She returned her attention to her book.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else?"

"Probably. But watching you struggle with that book seems more entertaining."

She closed it.

"I'm not struggling."

"Of course not."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Do you always annoy people this early in the morning?"

"Only the interesting ones."

She rolled her eyes.

I chuckled.

There was something about her that irritated me.

Not because she was rude.

Not because she talked too much.

It was the fact that I couldn't stop paying attention to her.

My wolf was practically purring.

I hated it.

"So," I said, taking the empty chair opposite her, "how's life with the Blackwoods?"

"Terrible."

I laughed.

"Already?"

"Your eldest brother thinks he's the president of the world, your youngest brother laughs at everything, and you..."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Me?"

"You're annoying."

I burst out laughing.

She smiled slightly before looking away.

For a brief moment, the tension between us disappeared.

Then her expression changed.

She pressed her fingers against her temple.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"Just a headache."

I leaned forward.

"Since when?"

"Since last night."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because every time I ask a question in this house, everyone looks at me like I've committed a crime."

I couldn't argue with that.

Before I could respond, she suddenly looked directly at me.

"Sebastian?"

"What?"

"Why do you keep staring at me?"

I leaned back.

"Maybe you're prettier than I expected."

Her cheeks turned slightly pink.

I smirked.

Got her.

But then she said something that wiped the amusement from my face.

"You're lying."

I frowned.

"What?"

"Your mouth says one thing, but your eyes say something else."

I stared at her.

For a moment, I wondered whether she could actually read my thoughts.

Impossible.

Right?

That afternoon, I received a call from one of my men.

"Sir, there's a problem."

I stepped away from the hallway.

"What is it?"

"Someone was seen near the eastern boundary last night."

My expression hardened.

"Who?"

"We don't know. But they left something behind."

"What?"

"A symbol."

My wolf stirred.

"What symbol?"

The man hesitated.

"An inverted crescent moon."

My blood ran cold.

I ended the call.

That symbol belonged to a pack that had disappeared years ago.

A pack our father had forbidden us from discussing.

And suddenly, Isabella's strange arrival made even less sense.

I turned toward the staircase.

She was standing at the top, holding her phone.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Nobody."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You people really need to work on your communication skills."

I ignored her and started walking away.

But before I could take another step, she spoke again.

"Sebastian?"

I turned.

"Yes?"

"Do you know why someone was watching me?"

My body went completely still.

"What did you say?"

She slowly lifted her phone.

"I received a message from an unknown number."

I walked toward her.

"Show me."

She handed me the phone.

The message was short.

RUN, ISABELLA ROSE. THE BLACKWOODS ARE NOT YOUR FAMILY.

I read it twice.

Then a second message appeared.

AND WHATEVER YOU DO, NEVER LET THEM DISCOVER WHAT YOUR FATHER DID.

My grip tightened around the phone.

Her father?

Isabella's biological father had supposedly died before she was old enough to remember him.

So why was someone suddenly bringing him into this?

I looked at her.

"Who knows about your father?"

She shook her head.

"I don't know. My mother never talks about him."

Before I could ask another question, my phone vibrated.

A message from Alexander.

Come to the study. Now.

I looked back at Isabella.

She was staring at me, waiting for an explanation.

I handed her phone back.

"Stay inside the mansion. Don't go anywhere alone."

Her expression hardened.

"You can't keep ordering me around."

"Isabella, this isn't a joke."

"Then tell me what's happening!"

I opened my mouth.

But the words wouldn't come.

Because at that moment, I noticed something behind her.

A dark figure stood outside the glass doors.

Watching us.

I blinked.

The figure disappeared.

My wolf growled violently.

And then I heard a voice inside my head.

THEY HAVE FOUND HER.

I grabbed Isabella's wrist and pulled her away from the window.

"Sebastian! What are you doing?"

I looked into her frightened eyes.

For the first time in my life, I wasn't worried about myself.

I was worried about losing someone I had barely met.

And that terrified me more than I wanted to admit.