Savior

Chapter 9

chapter9

Isabelle POV

The kiss caught me off guard. It was dominating and possessive, but oh, so explosive.

My hand fisted the front of his shirt.

His tongue swiped across my bottom lip, asking for entrance. Entrance in which I had no choice but to give. He explored my mouth, taking his time in doing do. After a minute he pulled back, leaving me trailing after his lips for more. I shook my head to clear the daze I was in. He brought my face back to his and pressed a long kiss on my lips.

"Mine" He whispered against them.

"Yours."

"Good. Let's go." He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him as he pushed through the small crowd that had gathered around. We made it back over to a gaping Cassy and a fuming Austin, I stayed behind his back. Too embarrassed of what just happened. "Let's go." Sebastian says. Austin stands and tries to touch me, but I moved over slightly. His expression looks pained, but he drops his hand. We look back over to Cassy as she and Sebastian continue talking.

"You can eat at home. Let's go." Sebastian says. She looks over to me and I give a slight head nod, telling her that it's time to go. "Fine."

We all walk back through the mall, with Cassy in front of us so that we can keep an eye on her. She smiles at everyone, like it's second nature to do so.

I tug at Sebastian's hand. He stops and looks back at me with a inquisitive look.

"I have to use the bathroom."

"It can't wait?" He asks, looking back at Austin. I roll my eyes. "It won't take long, geez." I drop his hand and turn to go to the bathroom.

When I get into the bathroom, there are two other people in there. They’re both wolves. Since the mall is on neutral territory, we pass each other as if it was a normal day.

I hear the door of the bathroom being opened and the chatter from both of the girls have ceased. I walk out of the stall to the sink to put water on my face. I stand there for a minute, just thinking. I’m going to have to protect Cassandra.. But how am i going to do that with her here, and me gone. I shake my head to clear the thoughts running through my wired brain. I splash water on my face once more and dry it, before walking out of the bathroom.

The sight that greets me has me stopping short. Austin is standing there with his muscular arms crossed, talking to the two women who were just in the bathroom. I feel a burst of jealousy rush through me. He meets my eyes and I raise my eyebrow in question. He frantically shakes his head, gesturing to the two women.

I walk over to him and he holds out his hand. I take it without hesitation, effectively cutting off both of the blondes who seem oblivious as to what just happened. They turn around and look at me in shock, while me-I smirk. Austin pulls me into him into a tight hug, his arms wrapped securely around my body, his face buried in the crook of my neck.

I send a gloating smile over his shoulder to the two gaping blondes. They turn away with rolling eyes and walk off. I wrap my arms around Austin's shoulders, and lay my head down. We stand there for a minute, and I remember that Sebastian and Cassy are waiting for us. I get ready to pull back but he cuts me short.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" I ask, confusion clear in my voice. "For yelling at you.. And treating you like a child. I'm sorry." I shake my head and pull back.

"No. I overreacted. I'm sorry." I tell him grabbing his face and tilting it down so I can see his eyes. He and Sebastian have to be about 6'3, which towers over my 5'4 frame.

"I was just worried, princess." He breathes. I smile. "Austin, I have been doing this most of my life. I have gone more than a couple of days without eating.. so I think I'm kind of used to this now." I let out a little laugh.

It's not the first time I went without eating. After Luna Elizabeth died they didn't feed me.. not that I wanted to eat. So I started skipping meals, but eating enough to stay alive.

Austin looks at me with anger burning in his eyes. "That prick didn't feed you?" I shake my head, knowing he's talking about Alpha Thomas. "Why not?"

I shrug my shoulders noncommittally like I don't know. His eyes soften. "Isabelle, you know you can tell us right?" He whispers to me.

"And I will, but now is not the time. Can we please just go?" He sighs but otherwise complies with my wish.

When we get to the car Cassy and Sebastian are in the front seat, waiting for us. Austin slides into the back and I stand there looking. Sebastian looks back at me and gives me a pleading look, which makes me shake my head and give a small smile.

I get into the back and shut the door. I lay my head back against the seat and close my eyes. I'm gonna have to talk to Nathaniel and the twins about what's going on.

Unless Cassy comes with us, she is going to die. Despite his temper and voice problem, Nathaniel seems incapable of keeping her safe. Of course I wouldn't tell him that.

We ride in silence, with nothing but the radio playing a soft song.

Apprehension fills my mind out of the blue, leaking from my pores. If they smell it they say nothing about it.

Ellie?

Yes, Belle?

How are we going to do this? I don't even know how far their pack is.

Are you talking about Cassy?

No. I'm talking about the sun. I reply sarcastically. She rolls her eyes and I continue. I don't want to take her from Nathaniel, but I want to keep her safe. I would rather her be safe and satisfied than dead. Just saying..

Ellie is quiet for a few minutes, thinking. I can feel her frustration. She speaks up after a while.

Her wolf thinks that she should stay with Nathaniel.. you know, to be happy. But she also wants her human safe. Truth be told, she has the last say in the matter. Think about it.

I sigh. She's right.

A hand on my thigh jolts me out of my conversation. I open my eyes and Austin is staring at me with concern. "Are you okay?"

I pause. I could just say yes, and tell him what's going on later. Or I can say no and worry everyone in the car. I choose to shrug, not giving a straightforward answer.

He looks pained, and it causes my insides to tear with guilt. I move over to him and lay my head on his shoulder. I weave my fingers with his and squeeze. I close my eyes and relax back into the seat.

~

"Princess, wake up." Austin's voice sounds muffled. Like I have a pillow on my head.

I groan.

"Isabelle, baby, wake up. We're back." I hear Austin's voice, clearer now. I lift my head up which seems to be on Austin's lap.

Oh my god. I sit up quicker and run my hand through my hair and down my face. I look around and sure enough we are back at Nathaniel's pack house.

We get out of the car and I stretch. I stumble a bit, a little off balance. Austin holds me by the small of my back, really close to the top of my buttocks. His other hand is on my stomach, keeping me steady. The feel of his hands on my skin makes my body hot. My eyes shoot to his and his to mine. We stare at each other for a moment, savoring the feel of our bond flowing through us. He blinks, breaking the spell, and pulls his hands away slowly.

"Sorry." He nods and swallows hard.

I step back, slower this time so I don't stumble again, and turn around to make my way into Nathaniel's pack house. There are a few people in the living area when I walk in who give me protracted looks, but they turn away at the sight of Austin behind me. I turn to look at him and find him glaring at the people in front of us. He looks back at me and has the audacity to look embarrassed.

Shaking my head I turn and follow Sebastian's scent to the kitchen. He is sitting at the table with Cassy, presumably waiting for food. I go and take a seat beside him, across from Cassandra. Sebastian grabs the seat of my chair and pulls it closer to him, leaving me to hold onto him so that I wouldn't fall. Austin sits beside me, pulling his chair over also so that he was closer to me also. I sigh and slump into my seat.

"What are we going to eat?"  I ask after a beat of silence. Cassy looks over to me and smiles. "Nathan is cooking, so I don't know what we are eating."

How did..?

"I mind linked him on the way." She answers my unasked question. I hum and keep quiet.

A couple of minutes later Nathaniel comes in with food, and the sight is comical. Alphas don't cook, unless it's for their Luna. But even then it's rare. He gives us the food and sits down beside Cassy.

"Alpha Nathaniel." He looks up at me. "Can we talk? Like after you both get done?"

He looks over to Cassandra and back at me. "I'm not eating, we can talk now. My office?"

"Yes, sir."

He nods and stands to his feet. I stand as well, but I cannot get out due to the closeness of the twins. I huff, causing Austin to look at me. I push past him and follow Alpha Nathaniel upstairs. We make it to his office and he opens the door. Everything is fixed and back the way it was, unlike this morning. So he must've gotten it fixed while we were at the mall today.

He lets me in and I close the door behind me. "Nathaniel. I wanted to talk to you about the Alpha Thomas situation." I start off. He nods, gesturing for me to go ahead.

I struggle for the right words, and decide to start off simple. "We both want Cassandra safe.."

"Yes, we do." He states

"How is this going to work? I don't know how far I will be from here when we leave. I meant what I said when I told Cassy that I was going to protect her with my life."

He looks at me for a moment before starting slow. "What.. What are you suggesting, Isabelle?"

"I'm suggesting that she should stay safe."

"She is safe here."

"Is she though? No offense Alpha Nathaniel, but even with your temper, you wouldn't be able to kill Alpha Thomas. That would be a war on your hands. And having a war on your hands, that would do nothing but put Cassy in further danger." I tell him.

"Are you saying that I am not able to take care of my mate?" He accuses.

"That didn't come out of my mouth-"

"Yet, that is what you are implying." He responds, with his voice raised. I look at him with a passive look on my face. "I will take care of my mate."

I run my hand through my hair. "I know that you can take care of her. I will take care of her too. No one wants that fucker dead more than I do." I growl the last part out.

He looks at me with surprise etched onto his face, probably because of my language.

"Sorry."

"No, no. You're fine." He stops to gather his wits. "Tell me what you think should happen. I want all honesty so that I can see both sides of the spectrum here."

I take a short breath before explaining. "I think that she should come with me. Just until I kill Thomas. He is going to die by my hands, and the sooner he does, she can come home.  In the end it really won't be up to us, it's her choice."

We sit in silence, waiting for whatever is to come, to come. "Have you talked to the twins about this?"

I shake my head. "No, I wanted you to be the first person I talked to about this. Besides, I get a say in the matter also. I'm their mate."

"That you are." He pauses. "Let's talk to Austin and Sebastian about it and see what they say." I shake my head.

"No, you can talk to them. I am going to eat and go run." I tell him standing up and stretching.

I walk out of his office and run into the twins. Speak of the devil and he shall appear- two in this case.

"Where are you going?" Sebastian asks, catching me by my shoulder.

"For a run." I reply. "I will be back, I just need to check the perimeter again.."

He nods and Austin speaks up. "Make sure you eat something."

I roll my eyes and turn away. "Sir, yes, sir." I mock. I can sense his scowl and I can't stop the chuckle that leaves my mouth.

When I get down stairs I see Cassandra taking things into the kitchen. I follow behind her. "Cassy."

She jumps and throws her elbow back. I catch it and move back, avoiding her foot that she was sending towards mine. "Woah, woah." I say

"Oh, god! Sorry Isabelle! I didn't know it was you." She's breathing hard. "You scared me."

"It's okay, Cass. You don't need me to protect you, you got it covered, don't you?" I laugh, making her turn red. "I'm serious. You almost had me.. I just have had practice for a while, and I fight dirty." I laughed again.

"No, I just know enough to protect myself. Nathan doesn't want me to train.."  I frown at that. "Why not?"

"Because he says that he can take care of me." She responds. I raise my eyebrow at that. "I know, I know. Stupid right?"

"Yes that is stupid. You need to be able to protect yourself, and expect the unexpected." I tell her.

"I know, and I will talk to him about it. Aren't you hungry?" She asks, moving the subject. I look at her with calculating eyes. "Yes are you going to feed me?" I ask sweetly, batting my eyelashes. She laughs, making me relax. "Yeah, what would you like?" I shrug.

"Anything." She fixes me a burger and some chips and I eat like a starving man. She watches me in shock, probably at the rate I devoured my food. "What?" I ask, bringing a glass of water to my lips.

"Nothing. It's just, if you inhale food like that, I can't imagine what you would do to Austin and Sebastian." She says nonchalantly.

It catches me off guard and makes me choke. "W-what?" She laughs and pats my back. "You should've seen your face." She chuckles, while I glare. Austin and Sebastian take that time to walk into the kitchen.

"What happened?" Cassy opens her mouth to tell them what happened. "Well, Isabelle inhaled the food and I was just wondering what would happen if-"

"NOTHING!" I say, clamping my hand over her mouth.

They look at me unsure, and then back to Cassy. "Okay whatever. T-Cassy, Nathaniel wants to see you." Sebastian says.

"..Okay." She gets up and walks out of the room. I take my plate to the sink and wash it out. When I get done washing it out I turn around, getting ready to walk out. "Where are you going?"

"I told you I was going to go for a run. Ellie wants out." I say walking past them. "I know how to keep myself safe, you don't have to worry. I will be back in about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on her. Thanks." I say and walk out of the door. I hear the door being closed behind me and I roll my eyes mentally.

"Isabelle."

"I said I will be safe."

"Isabelle." I look up. "Please.. Be careful. We don't want to lose you, okay?" Sebastian says. I look over to Austin and he has the same look Sebastian has on his face.  

I walk up to both of them and pull them into me. They wrap their arms around me and hold me tight.

After a minute, I pull back and they keep me in their embrace.

"Run with me. It won't take long, and you both can keep an eye on me." I tell them. They drop their arms and I take a step back. I turn away and start walking. I grab the hem of my shirt and pull it up. Turning my head over my shoulder, I watch as the boys come to a stop, and watch me intently. I drop my shirt and wink, before shifting into my large white wolf and taking off running.