"Tell me the truth, and you owe me that at least," I shouted at my big brother as he mopped himself up with tissues.
" OK, look, it is not such a big deal, but I got involved with a girl. She had a mate, and he found out. Now he wants my guts for garters. She is also pregnant, and her father says if it is mine, then he is expecting me to mark and be mated to her." "Isla, there is nothing to be frightened of; we will be fine, so will you just please stop stressing out at me." He sighed and gave me a look. "Are you serious right now?" I threw my hands up in the air, feeling so fed up. My brother was such a douchebag. How could he be so damn stupid? Throwing the discarded tissues onto the back of the car, he turned to me with eyes blazing and said, "Well, if you had never run away, then we would not be here right now." Five whole years of being away from my family, and now I am being blamed for stuff that is not even my fault. "I think you forgot the part where this is my fault." I scowled, grabbing my bag and reaching to open the door. Daniel immediately bolted out of the car and met me at the other side. I was angry and very disappointed in my brother. How could he do this to me? To our family? "Our parents must be so proud of you, you idiot." I scolded him with a slap across the cheeks. Covering his face in surprise but not retaliating, he took it. " Isla, they do not know about Maddie. Mum called me and said she was ill and wanted us all together as a family. So, come on, please, we should get out of here." He kept glancing over his shoulders like he feared someone was following us. I would not stick around and become a part of his problem. "I am going back to where I am happy, and my life is there now and not in some messed-up dysfunctional drama land," I told him firmly. I meant every word of it, too. It was true. Did he believe I wanted to be on the run halfway across someone else's territory with him? He was very mistaken to think that I would be so stupid. I was about to call Zara to come to pick me up because I was so done with my brother and his bullshit. I was so disappointed in him for messing up his life like this and dragging me into it. He had lost the plot. "No, you are not phoning anybody, now get back in the damn car so we can get out of here and go and be with our mother before she leaves this world," he shouted harshly in my face, causing me to burst into floods of tears. He had never spoken to me like that or made me cry, but here I was, blubbering like a baby, while he practically threw me back into the car and slammed the door behind him. I hated him. My wet tears now blurred my vision. I ignored him as he got back into the driver's seat and drove off down the road. I remained silent and must have fallen asleep because next, though I know, we stopped. Opening my eyes, I sat in my seat and looked out the window. It was just as I remember. We were back at the Pembroke Pack. It was weird as hell to be back here after so many years. I have never forgotten that horrible day when Alpha Miller rejected me in front of everyone. But I was not that nerdy little freak anymore; I was stronger, confident and, above all, I knew how to handle myself better. Never again would I allow idiots like Miller and Mora to break me down. Not ever. Nothing prepared me for the sight of Millier and Mora just a few feet away from me. "You lied to me, and you think it's okay to do that; you chose me as your Luna, and I deserve much more respect than you give me." I heard Mora scream at Miller, her long brown curls tied back into a ponytail, and she looked pretty much the same as she always had, only a bit of weight on her. I was curious about the little bump she seemed to be carrying. Daniel had never mentioned anything about her possibly being pregnant, but then again, I suppose he probably assumed that I would already have known about that. "She was nothing, nothing compared to you, my baby girl. It is you that I want and who I come to be with every night. You know that you are my number one." Miller reached out to her, but she slapped him away. I wondered if I could sneak away without being seen. I did not want to be stuck in the middle of their domestic. Quietly opening the door, I climbed out and smiled at how easily I had managed that. Taking a few more steps around the car, I snuck down and ran towards the woods. "Isla, where are you going?" SHIT! I heard my brother shout out after me as he was coming out of the packhouse, probably to check if I was awake. "Isla, what? Where?" Mora exclaimed in a confused state as she turned around to see what my brother was shouting at. As I turned, my eyes immediately locked with his. Alpha Miller. I could see his shocked face as he looked me up and down. My heart was thumping like crazy in my chest, but in my head, all I felt was disgust and hatred towards the one that I had mistakenly been paired with by the moon goddess. What the hell had she been thinking? "You!" Mora marched up to me like a crazy psycho. Miller ran after her, shouting for her to calm down and to stop. Of course, she was not about to listen to his commands. "Isla?" Daniel was running as well. "Get away from my sister," Daniel yelled as Mora yanked my hair, pulling me back towards her. She was angry at me. And for what? Since I was supposed to be in her shoes, Luna was mated to her Alpha. She wore his mark and was about to bear him a child—an heir to the pack. So, why would she possibly be so mad at me? I had disappeared five years ago and allowed them to get on with it. He rejected me. I accepted it and moved on with my life. This was just some crazy shit that I honestly did not want to deal with. "Mora. Let her go." Alpha Miller scooped her up into his arms, kicking and screaming as she cussed at me. I would have easily kicked her butt if she were not pregnant. She deserved to feel the same hurt that they had subjected me to so many times. "I want her dead. Daniel, what the hell is your stupid sister doing here?" Mora growled at my brother furiously. Daniel stood before me protectively, like he had done a lot when we were kids. "My sister has done nothing wrong." Daniel tried to reason with her, but she refused to back down. This bitch sure did hold some grudges. "That bitch of a sister of yours, well, she has been sleeping with my mate." Mora spat, glaring at me with fire in her eyes. "Do what?" I exclaimed, bursting into a fit of laughter. "My sister has done no such thing. We only got back here." Daniel rolled his eyes at Mora's childish hissy fit, and she threw a dagger look my way. "As if I were going near him. You are more than welcome to him." I was disgusted by such an accusation. Alpha Millier had not once taken his eyes off me, and I felt repulsed at how he was staring so longingly at me. He placed his pregnant mate down, causing her to huff and scowl across at me. I could see how it bugged him that I should not be falling at his feet, begging for a chance to be his true mate. That was never going to happen. He made me feel sick, so sick that I could not look at him a second longer. "No, I was not with Isla." Alpha Miller finally spoke up, but she glared at him as if not believing the words that he was saying to her. It was not my problem if she wanted to think such nonsense. "Then why are you looking at her like that? You rejected her all them years ago and now regret it?" Mora growled. Gosh, she was paranoid. I giggled and lowered my eyes to the floor like it was more interesting. I was not about to waste another minute listening to them. They were both so pathetic, and it was a wonder to me how they could lead a pack when he was cheating on her, and she loved nothing more than having all the attention. "So, if you do not mind. Me and my sister have some personal issues to deal with since our mother is extremely unwell." Daniel said rather rudely, which made me look up at the alpha, unsure if he would beat my brother for sounding so disrespectful to Luna. He did not look fussed, and he was far too busy eyeing me up like a lovesick puppy. Urghh. "Isla?" My sister gasped, rushing towards us and hugging me so tightly as she had missed me. OK, this is getting weird now. This sister had practically hated me being in the same room as her; she had acted like we were not even related and barely bothered me since I had left. However, she was still my sister, and I knew it would make my mother happy to see us all getting along. That is also why I had not mentioned my and Daniel's fight earlier. "I cannot believe that you are back. I have missed you so much, and you look so, so different." She held me at arm's length and grinned at me happily. Yeah, she was right. I had changed. A lot. Mora grunted as my sister fussed over me, gushing about how she could not wait to go shopping and have our hair done together, just sister things. I smiled back at my sister, thoroughly enjoying the jealous looks of Mora and the pained vibes from my ex-mate. "Have you got a mate yet? We have so much to catch up on." Cora giggled with excitement and linked my arm as she led me away to the main packhouse. "Did you know that she was coming back?" I heard Mora scream at Miller, and the corners of my lips formed into a smirk as he tried to reason with her. Good luck to him having to put up with her all the time. She was a crazy nutjob. I was glad that I would not have to be sticking around here forever. "She is such a drama queen," Cora whispered when we were out of earshot. "You know, it is obvious that Alpha Miller regrets ever rejecting you as his luna. You look so great, sis." I could not help but smile at that statement. Alpha Miller regretted rejecting me? Well, he would have to live with that mistake for the rest of his life because I, for one, could not give a monkey hoot what he thought or did any more. I was only here for my mother. She needed me, and she was all that mattered right now.We stopped outside our mother's bedroom, and Cora stood in the way of the door. “I need you to be prepared for this. She is not herself at all. It was all so strange. She went out for a run and came back like she was not all there. She has been going downhill ever since. Dad had to order her not to shift because of what she was doing to herself.” Cora explained in a hushed whisper as if afraid someone would hear her. “Daniel never mentioned this much detail.” I shook my head, trying to make sense of it all. Cora took my hand and pushed the door open, and we went. Nothing could prepare me for my mother lying in bed, and she was asleep when we arrived in her bedroom. Cora gripped my arm, and I took a deep breath. “Isla, he does not like to talk about it. He only called you back to Pembroke because it was what Mother wanted.” I raised an eyebrow and glanced at my sleeping mother. She was so beautiful, but she looked so different to how I remembered. “She looks so
“Oh my goddess! Isla. Is that you?” I grinned up at the girl standing a few feet in front of me. Aly. She wiped her forehead with her hand and gasped at seeing me. “Yeah, it is me.” She looked so happy to see me, and it warmed my heart to see my old friend. She manoeuvred around the half-stacked chairs to hug me. As she got closer to me, I could not help but see the mark on her neck. She had found her mate. Wow. Me and I certainly had a lot of catching up to do. Maybe she could fill me in on what was going on around here. “Did you miss me that much that you came back after what, five nearly six years?” Aly gushed. She was so surprised yet happy to see me here. “Oh Aly, I am so happy to see you, but I returned because Daniel said my mother was unwell. She needed to see me.” I sighed and instantly noticed how Isla clammed up. “Would you like to have something to eat?” She suddenly seemed intent on distracting me from this conversation. “Aly? What is
“Do you think this is acceptable?” Mora growled at Alpha Miller when he did not immediately defend her. She did not like how he was acting and the way he could not keep his eyes off me. Mora was jealous! A small part of me felt good about the tables being turned, she would know how I had been made to feel since the day I found out he was my mate. He had rejected me and made me feel like a worthless piece of shit. I cried for days after that, felt lower than a limbo stick on its lowest setting. They had destroyed my dreams of having my happy ending. They were the reason that I had left my life here, my family and everything I had ever known. When I had arrived at my uncles pack, I had been a right mess. But meeting Zara she had become my rock. We hit it off and became the best of friends. She was the one to make me realise that I deserved better than him anyway. The moon goddess has made a huge mistake when pairing me with him. He was selfish an
Alpha Miller’s POV Seeing her again after all this time has made me realise what I did that day was wrong. Mora may be my chosen mate and carrying my pup but the way I feel when I see Isla is a different story. She is literally out of this world. I should have never rejected my true Luna. She is gorgeous, stunning and just beautiful. I do not know what I was thinking that day, when she left Pembroke, I felt as if a huge part of me was missing. She had never accepted the rejection, just packed her things and left without any warning. If I had known then I would have stopped her and made her stay but how could I? I had already rejected her, chosen Mora as my mate and Luna. Mora was a beautiful she wolf that all the unmated wolves wanted back then. I saw how they would drool over her. Everyone loved and respected Mora, that was why I felt she was Luna material. Isla was the complete opposite, teased and ignored by many. She was treated like an omega alth
Isla POV My brother Daniel was so stupid to challenge the alpha. Miller was much more stronger and powerful than my brother. Daniel was going to get himself killed at this rate. “Stop. Now!” I ordered them. Not that it made any difference since the crowd were going wild, cheering and egging them both on. I pulled myself away from the two idiots and pushed my way through the crowd. Running through the pack house I frantically searched for my sister. It did not take long before I saw her. She looked like she were a million miles away and it was obvious she was still upset about earlier when Daniel had lost his temper with us. Now he wanted to play the big brother act like he used to. I could have handled Miller myself but something ran deeper in Daniel. He held a lot of hatred towards the alpha. “Isla, please do not leave. Stay the night. I need you here. Our mother needs you.” She touched my arm and looked at me with such a pleading look in her eyes that I cou
Cora looked straight up, and relief flooded her face the second she saw me. I noticed our mother sitting in bed, looking extremely glum. “Oh, Isla. Please, will you forgive me?” She started to weep as soon as I closed the door behind me. Cora shrugged her shoulders, unsure what to say to either of us. “What do you mean?” I queried, making my way to the empty side of the bed. “I am so sorry for suggesting that Daniel fetch you. Your uncle has been calling and calling. They all miss you back at the Eclipse.” She sighed, using the back of her hand to wipe her tear-stained face. Cora handed her a clean handkerchief and remained silent, looking at me to see how I would respond. "I want you and Cora to return with me to Uncle Ed's. There is nothing here for either of you," I announced. My mother gasped; her face turned a pale white as if she had seen a ghost while Cora shook her head. Her eyes had turned into substantial round saucers as she thought over what I had sai
I smirked at him as he looked from me to Mora. She looked like she wanted to kill me and I would be dead if looks could kill. “Well, she is not your fated mate is she? So obviously she has a mate. Do you think that she doesn’t already know who that is?” There was gasps and silence around us as I could see everyone was shocked that old Isla could stick up for herself against the mighty alpha. He was a fool to think that I would sit and take any shit. Being at Eclipse had made me stronger, the training I had every day. My uncle Ed took no laziness, there was no room for slacking. We all did our bit and worked our arsed off. Alpha Miller was nothing compared to the Eclipse. “Well, are you going to let her speak to me and you like that. In front of the pack?” Mora practically shouted causing Alpha Miller to growl. “And why is Amanda out of bed? Should you not be resting since your mate ordered the alpha to make sure that you did not cause anymore drama to yourself of the
It did not take long for me to find my mother, she was laying in her human form sprawled out naked by the stream. I immediately howled in distress and shifted back to my human form. Not caring that I was now naked and sensed that he had followed me. I rushed to my poor mother and started to cry because I was scared. What if she died? She was barely breathing and looked like she had been attacked since she was covered in cuts that looked fresh. “Isla, please allow me to help. This is my fault.” he sighed and I could see that he meant well but that did not mean I was about to give him any chance of hope with me. “Here.” he suddenly went behind a huge oak tree. I wondered what he was doing when he reappeared with a bundle of clothing. He was also dressed in a tracksuit bottoms and white plain top. “What is this?” I frowned and took the clothing that he was holding out to me. It was two dresses and some clean underwear. I glanced up at him and raised