* Isabella *
They left after a few minutes of staying beside my father's grave and I felt a feeling of uneasiness lifted from my heart. I wonder why the presence of Alpha Charles makes me so aware of him that I can't stay still knowing that he is around. It could be because I am not comfortable with them, as I blame the death of my father on their kind.
The darkness of the clouds above me as I stood on the balcony of my room accompanied my grieving heart. "Isabella?"
I turned around to see Richard walking towards me. The room where he stays is next to me and we share the same balcony. "You couldn't sleep too?"
He nodded and let a tiny smile hover around his lips. "The wolves are not pleased because you have been obvious about your feelings towards them my dear. Alpha Charles is smirking every time he looks at you. You could be wrong about them you know?"
I sighed. "I don't need their help, Richard, I could be civil if I happen to bump into them but unlike my father. I don't want to ever be friendly with them."
Richard sighed and looked at me. "What about Bernard Isabella, I haven't seen him around recently?"
I look away and feel the cold breeze of the wind on my face. "He must be busy Richard, I will try to contact him tomorrow. Let us go inside now, I think the wind is getting colder."
"Yeah, it is."
I was glad that he did not ask any more questions further. Bernard has been acting weird ever since the wolves of the South made the threat to us. He wasn't as sweet as he used to be and I wonder why. Maybe he felt sad that I refused him to stay in the mansion.
As I entered my bedroom I could not help but think about him. It has been a few days since I have not heard from Bernard. I sent her a message on the cell[phone that he is using but I did not get a reply, so I just assumed that he could have a lot of things on his hands right now. And I on the other hand am quite busy as well. My father just died and I have to take care of the things and responsibilities that he left on my shoulders.
The loud knock on my bedroom door made me get up all of a sudden. "Who is it?"
There was a brief silence as I looked around and saw my wristwatch on top of my bedside table. It's five in the morning, an hour earlier than the usual time that I get up.
'It's me Miss Bannister, Mister Shaw is here early to speak with you. I'm sorry to disturb your sleep but he said that it is urgent."
My brows furrowed as I got up and looked for my robe to put above the thin fabric of my sleepwear. It is very early to have a visitor but since it is Bernard, I walk towards the door and open it up to see Martha.
"Thank you, Martha, you can go back to sleep. I would talk to Bernard."
"It's alright Miss Bannister, I am already up. I think that Mister Shaw would like it if I bring you both a cup of hot coffee."
I smiled and nodded. When I was about to go down the grand staircase, I took a good look at the couch in the living room and saw Bernard's back and felt a weird feeling when he turned around and faced me. My feet stopped in the middle of the stairs as I stared at his red eyes and haggard appearance.
"Oh! Bernard, What's wrong? You are here so early."
He stood up quickly and met me down the last stairs. "Isabella! My God, I don't know where to start but I am hoping to tell you something very important."
The trembling of his voice and his hands that grab me with force are all making me feel that something is wrong with him. "Hey, relax Bernard. Easy, come on let us sit and talk about it."
He gulps down a lump in his throat and fixes himself realizing that he must have been overreacting. As I settled beside him on the couch, he looked down and then met my eyes. It seemed that he hadn't slept in days.
"You don't understand Isabella, I have to tell you everything now. And I don't have enough time to even explain to you the reasons why I was not visiting these last few days."
"Bernard, relax. I am not mad at you if it is about your work, I do understand the importance of your role in the community. And my cousins are with me, together with the people who work for my father. Don't worry about me."
His eyes turned even wider as he looked at me and I held his hands. They were cold, unlike the last time I remembered holding him. He must be cold from outside.
"Isabella, I can't be with you anymore. My life as a human is over now, but I have to tell you that you must go. Get away from this place as soon as you can, please. I still care about you and my feelings for you will never change. The wolves of the South are coming here tonight, they will kill you all if you do not go!"
"What are you talking about Bernard!?"
He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me closer towards him. "I cannot protect you, Isabella, the wolves met with my family yesterday and my parents were informed that I am mated to the female wolf of the southern pack. If I choose to deny it they will slaughter everyone in my family. You have to understand Isabella, they are very strong in numbers you don't stand a chance if you want to stay and fight!"
I shook my head as I understood everything he told me. "No! That's not going to happen, I am not leaving this place. My father and all the people here are expecting me to protect them. We are staying! We have silver bullets that would kill a wolf."
"Isabella! You can't kill the Beta with the silver bullet and how much more the Alpha? The only beings that could defeat the wolves of the South were the wolves of the North. You have to go and talk to Alpha Charles, they can help you. Please, Isabella, do not think that you will stand a chance of killing a wolf from the South. They are well experienced in battling with human hunters and you will only kill everyone in your group. Please listen to me!"
I gritted my teeth. "No!!! This is not happening, Bernard. And why are you mated to the wolf of the South when you are human? I don't believe this! You are lying to me."
The feeling of pain suddenly gripped my heart as I looked at him. And my tears fell.
"Isabella? Bernard?"
My cousin Richard came down the stairs and called us. He must have heard my scream and he woke up. Bernard stands up and walks towards him.
"Richard! Take your cousin and leave this place, all of you! The wolves of the South are coming tonight. They will kill all of you, I cannot protect you no matter how I would try to save you. This is the only way. You don't stand a chance against the wolves."
"No!"
I stand up and meet the eyes of my cousin. He was shocked as he looked at me. "What are you talking about Bernard? Your family are the police, you could help us defend this place. We can't just leave and what about my family and the Bannister army? We are strong together."
"There is no army anymore!?"
My eyes widened as I looked at Richard and read his lips as he spoke. "The wolves have invaded the lands on the other side, I was with them. I have no other choice, they will kill my family!"
Richard immediately let out a right punch into Bernard's face. "And what about my family? huh! Where are my parents now?"
My hands trembled as we waited for Bernard's answer. "They are gone, there's only you and Isabella now. I'm so sorry, I came just to save you both. Please if you want to save yourselves, leave now and don't come back not if you got help from the cold mountain pack."
My head went spinning as the tears fell from my cheeks, I couldn't believe what was going on.
"Isabella!?
Their voices faint as I close my eyes and everything in me is blackened out.
* Isabella *I woke up to the sound of the cars on the road and the rumbling of the engines of the motorcycles. My eyes opened and I looked around me, it was a relief to find my cousin Richard sitting on the long couch with his eyes closed and then the luggage on the floor. I got up and observed the room. The window is covered by a thin white curtain that runs from the wall to the floor. It must be a three-star hotel based on the simple design, but it is a blessing that the room is neat and the sheets smell of fabric conditioner."Richard?"He started to move, I was grateful that he was still with me. My thoughts went back to the time I listened to Bernard's story."Thank God you are awake Isabella. I was worried about you, Martha just left to buy us some food for dinner. Are you hungry?""How is everyone Richard, have you contacted Uncle Rodolf?"His expression dimmed and he looked away from me. I know that as much as I fear the worst had already happened."I could not get a hold of
* Isabella *"Welcome to the Alpha house of the North Miss Bannister! This is a surprise; you should have informed me so that my son was here to greet you."The old man walks down the stairs at a fast pace followed by the butler of the house who looks at us with a question written all over his face. Two servants greeted us at the entrance of the Alpha house aside from the guards standing on the gates. As expected of the father of the Alpha, he exudes power and authority unmatched by humans like us."Oh, it is alright Mister Vernice. There is an urgent matter that I must discuss with you or with your son. Regardless of who among you would help me in this desperate time."His eyes turned wide and the gasp coming from my cousin Richard made me look behind me. He bowed his head to the old man when he stood in front of us."Please let us all be seated first. And I wanted to know everything that's on your mind Miss Bannister, I could feel that something terrible must have happened that you
* Isabella *I closed my eyes while lying down in the comfort of the queen-sized bed that was given to me in the Cold Mountain pack Alpha house. Mister Vernice has been generous enough to let me occupy the room next to his son. I would have said no and chosen the common guest room but I thought perhaps it would be easier to talk to Alpha Charles this way. The behavior I showed him when his last visit to the Bannister lands is making me feel nervous. What if he disliked my presence in his home? Remembering the assurance of his father that he would help me convince his son made me slightly comfortable. I could not remember for how long I had slept during the night but as I opened my eyes, a strong presence inside my room made me feel surprised."Good morning Miss Bannister!"His well-modulated voice and the good scent of aftershave and soap coming from his figure assaulted my nostrils. I sit up as I realize his cold eyes surveying me on top of the bed."Good morning Mister Vernice. I d
* Isabella *But my strength is no match against him as I stare deep into his brown orbs and notice the sarcasm plastered on his red lips. He challenged me with his hard chest that did not even move an inch even when I have used every ounce of strength that is left in my body. He remained close to me with his fingers dug into my shoulders."I am not going to be a normal human being anymore! Not when my father died because of the wolves from the South. If you don't want to help me then I have another plan!"The smirk on his lips faded and his eyes lit with fire as he brought me even closer to him. My heart is turning wild inside my chest."And what is your other plan, Isabella? Do you think that I care about what you would do if you came here and talked to my father? Good luck with your plan to take your lands back, however, the Alpha of the Cold Mountain pack and the warriors will not help you. You should know better than to put the lives of the people you love in danger just because
* Isabella *The old man waited until the servant who brought us the steaming hot coffee in the cup left. I smelled the aroma of the drink and held the cup to get a taste, it felt like home but my troubled mind refused to believe that. I watched the old man take a sip from his cup and carefully place back the cup on the saucer. He meets my gaze."My son does not want to help you however if you do what I tell you to, you could turn the tables around."I blinked my lashes and cleared my throat."I am listening Mister Vernice."He nodded and continued the conversation. "Our race as white wolves is extinct, my son refused to take a mate because she-wolves are nothing more than his playmates. They jump into his bed with just a snap of his finger."My eyes widened. "You see Miss Bannister, if you want his help then you need to offer him something in return. You are young and beautiful, I would bet my life that he is not immune to your charms. I noticed how he eyed on your back when you were
* Isabella * I spent the whole day thinking about the first step to get Alpha Charles's attention sexually. It is sad to say that I may have encountered him many times but he did not initiate something that would make me believe that he likes me, it is rather the opposite. I think I will have a hard time getting him to like me because I can feel his controlled annoyance when he talks to me. My experiences with men are limited to only Bernard and are no more than just kissing on the lips and a little bit of touch here and there. I treasured myself so much that I thought it would be difficult to seduce someone as good-looking and shrewd as the Alpha of the Cold Mountain pack. However, as Mister Vernice said, I can try it three times and if his son rejects me then it would be my loss. The knocks on my bedroom door confirm my thought. Alpha Charles just arrived home. I opened the door to see Martha smiling. "Isabella the Alpha arrived and he is staying in the library, he asked one of t
* Isabella *His big and strong arms encircled my body pressing me hard against his massive chest while his warm mouth covered my lips and I had no other choice but to gasp for air coming from him when I couldn't get out of his grasp. The blood rushing from my head down to my toes makes me feel dizzy and the hot sensation flowing through my very core is stronger. I felt like nothing else mattered at the moment but the sweet tingling pleasure of his hard body against mine."Damn you Isabella, did you wait for me just to execute your plan? I can smell you fresh coming out of the shower and it is driving me wild."His lips traveled to my jawline while he murmured in a hoarse voice that made the tiny hairs behind my ears stand. This is the first time I tried seducing him and to my surprise, I think it works! His warm and wet kisses extended to my exposed shoulders and then to my neck making me arch my neck towards the other side giving him full access to my skin. My hand reaches to his ch
* Alpha Charles *"Do you want another drink Alpha? Or shall I call for Eve?"Beta Lohan tapped his fingers on the table as I exhaled sharply and leaned my back on the soft chair. I have no intention of getting drunk for the night yet I feel like it is suffocating to stay in the Alpha house with the presence of Isabella lingering in every corner of the place."I'd rather discuss what you had found out on the Bannister lands Lohan. That is something that's been bothering me ever since the old Hunter leader died. My father was expecting me to help out, but it could mean a fight between the wolves of the South and the wolves of the North."He furrowed his brows while looking at me, the smile on his face faded as I brought the glass of whiskey to my lips. The noisy atmosphere could not hinder us from talking since we could hear each other clearly on our mind link. Two other warriors that are with us give me their full attention."I have to say that it might not be a good idea to help her