CHAPTER THREE~ The Fading Bond
1693 Words
~Isabella ~♡
The sharp echo of my mother's tearing voice cut through my head like an endless nightmare, serving as a reminder that i couldn't have this.
With the force of all the strength in my body, i tore my hands from his scotching sweet touch and broke into a sprint deeper into the dark woods, far away from the population, far away from him.
"Isabella, wait!" Had been a breathless plead from his lips that made me want to turn and run back into his arms. But i didn't stop.
A loud moan of pain tore through my parched lips as a seering excrutiating pain stabbed through my chest, Lexie's mournful feelings filed into my head. The chilling pain of rejection was starting to ripple through my body. My steps faultered, losing the balance of my feet, and i plummetted very ungracefully to the ground. My head landed with a loud thud against the innormous tree trunk. White light filled my fading vision for a moment.
*~*
"Huh, Lizzy! Huh!?" My dad's voice was loud, violent like a nightmare. It paralyzed every nerve in our bodies with fear. Mellissa clung onto me for dear life.
An echo of a shattering vase followed subsequently with my mom's voice.
"Give me the f*****g truth!" He yelled, before the sound of his palm meeting her cheek echoed.
"Tell me the truth! Who is her father!"
*~*
"Isabella.... Baby..."
Warm. Sweet.
I leaned into the touch, the gentle pressure of his hands on my cheeks. My eyes opened slowly, taking him in. Jeremy knelt in front of me like a saving grace, instantly lifting my thoughts out of the unsettling memory.
"Hey, sweet beastie," he murmured gently.
A soft sob escaped my lips. The agonizing tear of the bond sliced again, my wolf's tears were like poison in my system.
Sniffling, I pushed to stand, desperately needing distance, but the pull was too strong now.
"Isabella, stop! Stop running. You're hurting yourself," he whispered, his soft hand touching the split on my forehead, now dripping with crimson.
"You're hurting me, baby," his voice tore, stealing all willingness from me to run. Run from this. Run from him. Run from us.
"I can't," the words broke from my lips with a sob.
His hands found my cheek again, softening with a loving, encompassing embrace. His amber eyes stared deep into my soul, and a chilling feeling of absolute certainty flooded my system with a shattering echo.
This is my mate.
"Yes, you can. You want this, she wants this." His soft hand pressed against my violently palpitating heart.
He was right. And the more he admitted it, the more the bond punished me for denying it.
"I don't deserve it. I..." The words died on my lips as I sniffled, settling my gaze on my dirty, trembling hands.
"I can't have a good thing. I can't have a happy ending when I ruined my mom's. It's not fair."
He nodded, the picture of understanding.
"But you can. You deserve it, and I'm sure your mother thinks the same too. Whoever made you feel like you don't deserve the world was wrong, and I am your destiny. I am the one destined to give you the world, to show you that you are worth every single thing. So I need you to let me in, beastie."
"You haven't heard me out ever since we met. You keep running from us. Our wolves are yearning for each other, and you're in pain. Let me in, mama."
"How do you know me, us?" I finally managed, the question laced with residual panic.
He smiled, a look that said he'd been waiting for this moment.
"How would I not know you? I've known you since you were ten. I saw you when I was on a mission in your pack years back. It took everything in me to wait until you were of age before I came to claim you." His voice became a soft whisper, his nose against mine, our lips a breath apart.
A force so strong begged for the union.
"I've waited for you for a thousand years. I've watched you grow into this beautiful, exceptional young woman. I've learned everything about you. Your dad is an asshole."
The last admission had me cackling hard. It had come so suddenly and unexpectedly. We shared a genuine laugh, the tension momentarily snapping.
"Keep on smiling like that, you look beautiful," he admitted, his warm eyes setting my body ablaze with need, wanton, raw.
I gave in, my resistance shattered like thin ice. The fear of my mother’s broken destiny evaporated in the rush of pure, raw instinct. I leaned in, crushing my lips against his, an act of desperate surrender.
He responded instantly, not with hunger, but with a reverence that stole the air from my lungs. The kiss was a silent detonation. It wasn't just a touch of skin, it was the collision of two halves that had been searching since time began. Inside my head, Lexie wasn't just jostling, she was a thousand church bells ringing, a violent, beautiful explosion of starlight and firecrackers all at once.
Every nerve ending sang with the confirmation, Mate. Home. In that perfect, terrifying moment, I knew I was lost, but finally found.
The little peace of our bubbly was shattered when an antagonizing cry erupted somewhere in the woods.
"Come on!" Jeremy's voice was sharp. We both shifted in one fluid, cracking motion, our clothes ripping away as Lexie surged, a lightning strike of pure instinct.
We bolted through the thicket. By the time we skidded into the small clearing, the wails had quieted to tiny, shuddering whispers as life hemorrhaged from the naked girl lying on the mossy ground.
Clinging to her neck was a massive wolf. Its coat was darker than the night, glossy and glistening as if coated in oil. it was draining the life out of her.
Its head snapped toward us. The sheer size of it was arresting, easily twice Lexie’s height at the shoulder. It emitted a low, rolling growl, an earthquake in sound that commanded instant retreat.
I felt the sudden, rigid tension in Jeremy's powerful body beside me, but I didn't hesitate.
Ignoring every shred of survival instinct, I shot forward, launching myself at the giant's throat. My claws secured only a shallow, stinging cut before the wolf reacted.
I charged again, Lexie a whirlwind of furious amber and brown fur against the silent, immovable obsidian. Amidst the frenzy, I managed to land a few desperate hits, but ultimately, the dark wolf slapped me away without effort, as easily as wadding off a troublesome fly.
I hit the rough bark of a tree trunk with a whimper, the impact stealing my breath in a choked, painful gasp. My head spun, and my vision blurred for a dizzying second.
Even through the haze, I realized the terrifying truth,
He wasn't fighting me. He was tolerating me.
Fuck him!
Growling deep in my chest, I tried to push back onto my trembling paws. But the dark wolf was suddenly looming over me, its massive muzzle mere inches from my face. A clear warning for me to stand down.
That growl.
It wasn't just sound, it was a physical force, a low thunder rich with royalty, power, and absolute authority that instinctively commanded every cell in my body to submit.
It was like the growl of an Alpha.
Yet, I was foolish, stubborn, and too vindictive to care about titles. I met its terrifying stare.
Perhaps surprised by my resilience, the wolf stared deep into my eyes. Those orbs were not the common gold or brown of pack wolves; they were a startling, dangerous ocean-blue with a sharp hint of emerald green flashing in the depths.
I knew I wouldn't forget them, not the color, not the calm, chilling danger they held.
The strong, metallic scent of blood lingering in the air finally drew his attention back to the shallow gash I had inflicted on his throat. It seemed I had cut deeper than I thought.
With a final, lingering look that swept over me, then sharply at Jeremy who stood frozen several feet back, the dark wolf finally retreated.
Consumed by the darkness that matched and masked it, the massive figure dissolved into the night. But its scent lingered, a powerful miasma of raw dominance mixed with the metallic tang of its own blood.
That much blood, I realized, he won't survive the night if it's not tended to.
I shifted back, the cool night air hitting my skin.
I shifted back, the cool night air hitting my skin.
"Isa, you shouldn't have gotten involved," Jeremy murmured, pulling me into his calming, familiar embrace.
He was right. I had acted without thinking, and that wolf would definitely remember me. But I didn't regret it.
"Are you okay?" I nodded slightly, sinking my head into his warm chest, wanting to breathe in more of his scent. He smelled of sweet vanilla and mountain air.
Shit!
I pushed myself hastily out of his embrace, my hands instinctively covering my bare breasts. I’d completely forgotten I was naked after shifting. I squirmed in embarrassment, but he chuckled softly. He quickly stripped off his shirt, covering me.
My eyes, still swimming with adrenaline, traitorously trailed down to his lower body. He was still wearing his pants.
WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?
I DON'T KNOW, LEXIE.
I bit my lower lip to suppress the groan that almost escaped. The sudden rush of hormones and the overwhelming proximity to my mate made me intensely, inconveniently frustrated. I resisted the temptation to run my hands across his defined abs. Today wasn't the day.
Finally, my life had changed. It had changed forever, and for the better. I couldn't wait to tell my mom all about my fated mate.
- Writer
