Isabel's Choice

Chapter 21 - Isabel

Heavy gray fills the room. It's that timeless dim light that could belong to an autumn morning or afternoon.

"Isabel, gorgeous pup, you are awake," my mother's smoky voice flows in my ears.

Astrid being here is incongruent with the rest of the reality around me. The clock clarifies that it's eight in the evening, the bloody wall paintings - that I am in the Alpha's bedroom.

I close my eyes again, to chase the hallucination away. Or figure out how I got here. Again.

***

I remember Owen waking me up very early in the morning, his hand kneading my breast before sliding between my legs. I was still half asleep, so I spread my thighs to offer him better access, hoping that he will be done quickly and I could still get an hour of sleep before starting my day.

"I don't have time for more now," he grazed at my mark, "but I will be back in the afternoon and we can pick it back up from here. Can you make some breakfast for us?"

I rolled off the bed and grabbed a random dress from my drawer.

"Us?"

"Me, Cesar, and Harry. I have to be at Broken Rock at seven-thirty."

The name rang a vague bell and Owen helped me sort it out:

"I am being challenged by Kari's oldest son. Poor half-blood got cheated out of his birthright and now he's looking for options."

I was pretty sure he could hear my heart suddenly speed its pace and lose its rhythm, but he didn't say anything.

Questions coursed through my mind - since when did he know about it? Why didn't anybody tell me about it? Will he leave me my phone when he's going, so that I can call my mother or Raya or even Luna Ayn, and ask them what in the seven hells this means?

"Focus, Isabel," Owen scolded me when I dropped a piece of scrambled egg next to his plate. But then he rubbed the small of my back and spoke in his paternalistic tone: "There is no need to be distracted, you won't have to bow to another Alpha. I will make sure of that."

"Can I come with you?"

"No." His answer came fast, as usual, and was followed by a request aimed at deterring me from insisting further. "We'll have roasted chicken for lunch. Can you also make the little steamed carrots? We should be back at eleven at the latest."

Heart in my throat, I watched him drive away, and I wanted to walk upstairs and shower thoroughly. 

But as I looked around, at the large entrance hallway with its iron banisters, at the wooden steps that were dangerously well polished, I suddenly felt tired.

I laid on the floor for a long time, thinking that I didn't want to shower and then baste a chicken and glaze carrots while Owen was fighting my true mate. I most certainly didn't want to watch Owen tear through a bird with nails stained by Lars' blood.

Willow was growling annoyed at my lack of trust, she had felt her mate's power. She was insisting that our current Alpha won't be back, that there will be a new one, a much better, kind one. Her thoughts briefly crossed mine, but I ignored them.

When the sun rose in the autumn sky, I forced her to emerge and ran to the Northern Border, intent on running home, to the four-pack. I thought that, if Willow was right and Lars lived, I would come back. And if I was right, and Owen lived, I would at least get to see my parents and Raya before he killed me or before I put my wolf to sleep and go for a long dive in the river.

At the Northern Border I met two lambdas who informed me that, per the Alpha's orders, I still had no permission to cross that territory line.

I tore through the first one's neck, but the other one called for back-up, and soon I was surrounded by four wolves. My grip on the pack mind was weak, I wasn't even able to hold the one of the females who were my responsibility, let alone that of Lambda males. So I fought them as best as I could, but I only managed to neutralize one of them when another rolled me over and aimed his fangs at my throat.
I then saw Knox's grey beast leap from the forest, followed by Nura's female. Together they stopped my attacker, while I tried to control the other patrollers who were hellbent on following Owen's orders.