Chapter 7

 

ISABELLE’S POV

 

The ocean wanted me dead.

 

It dragged me down, deeper into its depths, relentlessly and without mercy. Every time I fought to reach the surface and struggled to stay afloat, another wave hammered me under. There was water in every direction I turned, and when my mouth opened, it swallowed my screams.

 

Michael stood above on the balcony, high, tall, and mighty. His face was nothing but a blur as I looked up. He hadn’t moved an inch. Every time I went under, his smile stretched a little wider. And each time was longer than the last.

 

Why was he doing this?

 

I should’ve stayed quiet. I should’ve run away. Why did I fight back? Why did I think I could fight back?

 

“You will learn respect. And death will be the perfect lesson.”

 

Please, I don’t want to die. I can’t—

 

I jerked awake with a strangled gasp, my hands flying to my throat. Beads of sweat trickled down my chest and back, a subtle reminder that I wasn’t underwater. For a few seconds, I couldn’t do anything but grasp my neck, dragging gulps of air into my lungs as though I’d forgotten how to breathe. My heart hammered against my ribs, refusing to slow down as my body trembled. But it wasn’t from the cold.

 

I was alive. I repeated the words aloud and rocked myself until I could believe them.

 

Slowly, I lowered my shaky hands. There were no bruises on my neck, no rocks threatening to impale me, and no pair of eyes watching me slowly lose my life. There was only darkness.

 

My nose wrinkled, my ears perked at each sound, and my eyes followed every shadow I could make out. The damp soil beneath me reeked of stagnant water. There was a rustling in the leaves of a bush nearby, and the concrete above my head leaked drops of water.

 

I was so close to the human world. But I couldn’t bring myself to move another inch. My bones ached from hours of hiking. My feet throbbed inside my shoes. And my eyes threatened to close from lack of sleep.

 

“Hey! What the hell are you doing down there?”

 

A dark figure stood in front of me, holding a light that glared in my face.

 

I scrambled backwards until my shoulder bumped against a pillar. “Stay away from me.” My fingers curled around Nemphus’ knife. If it came down to it, would I find it in me to kill a human if it meant staying alive?

 

“Whoa. Easy,” he called out, dropping the beam of light to a spot on the ground beside me.

 

“Are you sleeping here?” he asked. But I pursed my lips together, saying nothing. His gaze travelled over my clothes. My oversized shirt, faded trousers, and trainers I’d stolen from a washing line two streets away. They didn’t fit well, but at least they let me pass for a human. I hoped. But he still stared at me as though I had two heads.

 

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

 

I stiffened. “What makes you say that?”

 

He nodded at my clothes and shrugged. “Just a feeling.” I glanced down at myself, resisting the urge to smooth my shirt.

 

“Well, the cops usually hang around these parts chasing away homeless folk.” He glanced at the space beneath the bridge. “You’d be safer going towards Eastwood. It’s on the other side.”

 

“Eastwood?” I repeated, scrunching my face.

 

The man stood with one hand on his hip as he scratched his head. “Oh, yeah…you wouldn’t know where that is, would you?” He mumbled to himself, running a hand over his hair, deep in thought. His eyes darted from me to the road ahead, and he let out a breath.

 

“Tell you what? How about I take you somewhere you can stay?” He offered, holding out his hand and beckoning me to take it. I stared at it, raising a brow. “Why?”

 

“Why?” he repeated, blinking. “You’re sleeping under a bridge, and it looks ready to rain soon.”

 

When I hesitated, he continued. “My wife and I run an inn there. We barely get any visitors these days, and she’s always complaining about how quiet it gets. I’m sure she’d be happy to take you in.”

 

I looked at his hand thoughtfully, and my stomach growled painfully. The thought of sleeping under anything but a bridge sounded like heaven at this point. It was a miracle on a silver platter. When was the last time I’d had something in my stomach other than putrid water? Or slept on something that wasn’t a jagged stone?

 

The man wiggled his fingers, drawing my attention to the hand he held out. “Well?”

 

“I…I don’t have anything to pay you with,” I admitted quietly.

 

His features softened as he smiled warmly at me. He took my hand in his and helped me rise to my feet despite the ache in my joints.

 

I was about a foot taller than he was and definitely stronger too. If the need ever arose, I could fight him myself. Even without the knife.

 

“I wouldn’t worry about that too much. Julie’s always ready to take in strangers. She’s a kind soul, my wife. She’d feed the nation if she could.”

 

Something about the light in his eyes when he spoke about her brought a dull ache in my chest. I’m sure Julie never had to live in fear of this man sentencing her to death. What a lucky woman.

 

The man stopped beside an old car and opened the passenger door as I followed him closely. I peered at the backseat. “Uhh…” I held myself back. The last time I’d trusted a man, he’d left me fighting for my life in the ocean. Who knew what this one would do?

 

But the man climbed into the front seat, sparing me a glance. “Watch your step. And slam the door, it’s the only way it’ll close.”

 

I braced myself, letting out a breath as I got into the car, then slammed the door like I was told. I didn’t know much about humans. Was that sort of thing normal? For them to take strangers they found on the road for no reason?

 

“Thank you,” I said again, fiddling with the hem of my sleeves.

 

“I’m John, by the way.”

 

“John,” I repeated. The name felt weird on my tongue. John. Humans had the strangest names.

 

“What’s yours?”

 

“Isabelle,” I answered after a moment, picking at the dirt beneath my fingernails. I heard him mutter the name to himself before starting the car.

 

The drive lasted longer than I thought it would. And the silence that swallowed the car didn’t make things better. Sometimes, John looked back to check up on me and would notice me struggling to fight sleep. When he told me I could rest if I wanted to, I politely declined and clutched my knife a little tighter.

 

Just in case.

 

A part of me was almost a hundred percent certain that he’d tricked me and was planning to do something horrible to me. But that was until I saw his wife, Julie, standing at the door of their inn waiting for us.

 

“Oh, my word, John,” she gasped, rushing to me with a blanket. “She looks nearly dead. Where did you find her?”

 

“Just by the bridge,” he answered, shrugging off his coat and hanging it by the door. “I’ll get the guestroom ready.”

 

“I’ll get her something to eat. Come with me, dear,” she said, smiling warmly as she led me to the dining table. “It’s not much, but it’s something.”

 

The smell wafted into my nose like a welcome guest. And I looked down at the table, my mouth watering at the sight. A steak cooked to perfection sat on a plate. Small pieces of bread were placed in a basket beside it. And a glass of clean water called my name.

 

I wasn’t sure how I didn’t end up inhaling the food.

 

“Poor girl,” Julie tutted to herself. I could almost smell her pity. But she didn’t need to feel sorry for me. I’d get back everything I’d lost even if it was the last thing I did.

 

“Let’s get you to the guestroom.”

 

She ushered me down a hall and led me to a cosy little room with a small bed pressed at the edge of the wall. Julie said she’d give me space to rest. Finally alone, I stared in a cracked mirror that hung from the wall and touched my face.

 

I looked paler and leaner than I remembered. Black circles formed rings around my eyes and my skin was covered with dirt. Well, living in the woods will do that to you. If Millie could see me now, she would scream in terror.

 

But then, I heard a knock at the door, and Julie stepped inside with a bundle of clothes in her arms. “John thought you’d need these.” She let the pile tumble out of her arms before looking up at me with her shining eyes.

 

“Thank you so much. For everything,” I mumbled, settling on the bed that groaned underneath me. Despite it all, she beamed at me. And her smile was infectious.

 

“You know,” Julie began, settling down beside me. “I was just like you once.”

 

I almost laughed aloud. “Really? Just like me?” Did your ex-husband cheat on you with your sister? Did he try to kill you twice? Are you plotting vengeance while going hungry?

 

But Julie lifted her chin and nodded. “Three years ago, before I met John, my parents kicked me out of the house,” she started, nibbling on her lower lip. Then she forced out a humourless laugh.

 

“They didn’t like the guy I was dating. Said he was throwing my life away.” Her smile faltered as she stared at her lap. “But they still invite him over after church every Sunday, can you believe it?”

 

I blinked at her, unsure of how to respond. But I was slightly sure she wanted me to say no. So I shook my head.

 

“I met John at a cookout I snuck into. I was looking for something to put in my belly, but I ended up finding a home. Happiness.”

 

She glanced up from her hands and her eyes met mine. “What I’m trying to say,” she continued.

 

“Not every blessing falls into your lap. Sometimes, you find what you need in strange places.” She smiled. “Like a cookout.”

 

I didn’t know what she meant. I didn’t even understand a word. But for some reason that night, despite sleeping on a bed that wasn’t built for a person of my size, I had the best sleep I'd ever gotten in ages. 

Ivanna swatted away a fly that fluttered around her head. Her nose wrinkled at the mere smell of this place. She didn’t need to be a wolf before she knew where she was.

 

Kingswood Village was infamous for being the poorest of the provinces. But ironically, it was home to the oldest and one of the most powerful wizards. If anyone had seen or at least heard of a wolf like Gabriel had encountered, it was Alaric.

 

“And that’s why I’m here,” she explained, ending her statement with a bow. Alaric peered down at her from his throne, his fingers drumming a beat on the arm rest. Had he even been listening?

 

“Is this some sort of favour to the Alpha wolf you’re serving?” It wasn’t a question he didn’t know the answer to. But Ivanna bit her lip, fearing her answer might enrage him. Alaric smoothed the fabric of his silk robe, his eyes still focused on her. The man himself looked nothing like the place he lived. He was one of those higher supernaturals that didn’t concern himself with the lives of his people. It made her sick. Well, it was one of the things about him that made her sick.

 

“I don’t serve Gabriel. We work as partners,” she said through clenched teeth.

 

“Hmmm,” he thought to himself, toying with one of the gold rings on his finger. “I want you to understand, Ivanna, that the only reason I’m giving you the time of day is because I owe you after…”

 

“I know.” She didn’t let him finish the sentence. And a playful light danced in his eyes upon her reaction. Oh, she hated whenever the tables turned like that.

 

“Well, you’re in luck,” he declared. “I have heard of and seen a wolf with such abilities.”

 

Ivanna’s head jerked up as she stared at him, stunned. “You have?”

 

“Many years ago. Before even you were born,” he answered, rolling his eyes. He watched her carefully. And she could feel his gaze working up her body. It brought a strange feeling she couldn’t identify.

 

“But,” Alaric continued thoughtfully. “Their kind went extinct. They were all killed by their own species. You know how those wolves are—vicious animals.”

 

Ivanna scoffed before she could suppress it. “And you’re the saint?”

 

He laughed heartily, the sound bouncing off the walls. “I don’t go about starting wars.”

 

Her hands folded into tight fists at her sides. And she didn’t know why, but the need to defend him rose inside her. “Gabriel plans to end the war.”

 

Alaric let out a mirthless laugh and leaned forward, his brow arched. “And how is that going for him?”

 

Ivanna narrowed her gaze on him as she fought the urge to scowl. She didn’t want to pursue the topic any further. There were more pressing matters at hand.

 

“I want to keep the wolf healer a secret between us, Alaric. Can you swear on your life that you won’t tell a soul?” It wasn’t a request. But he still tilted his head to the side, considering it as if he had a choice. Alaric wouldn’t break the Code of the Coven, would he?

 

But instead of dismissing her like she expected, he reached for her, taking her hand in his and holding her gaze.

 

“As surely as I live, I won’t mention it to anyone or anything,” he swore, giving her a dangerous smile as he kissed the back of her hand. A shiver crawled down her spine at his touch but she didn’t pull back.

 

“Are you in the mood for me to owe you more favours?” he teased, looking up at her. Ivanna’s lips curled into a frown. “That was a one time thing. And I’m not doing it again.”

 

“Really?” He raised a brow and pulled her by her waist, earning a gasp from her. “If you wanted to leave, you could.” His breath was hot against her skin. She dug her nails into his back but he didn’t flinch. All he had to do was kiss her one more time before she gave in.

 

Gabriel would surely be fine if he waited one more day, right?