The Billionaire Alpha’s Dilemma

Chapter Eight

When the helicopter finally landed on the ground as Remi took off his headset and unbuckled himself out of his seat Isla mirrored his movements and took off her headset but had to halt when the buckle on her lap refused to budge, Remi impatiently reached sideways towards the buckle and her breath hitched as she watched the shine of his gold wristwatch against the smooth olive of his wrist as he collected the belt from her, he was excruciatingly slow with his movements and after what felt like hours of holding her breath Isla felt the heavy buckle fall lightly on her lap, she jumped down hastily out of the helicopter and struggled to keep her hair and coat from flying around because of the rotating blades which were slowing down and looked around, they were on a plateau so she could look down at the buildings clustered in what looked little a town below.

She felt a sense of exhilaration being here, there was a calm in the atmosphere that permeated her body and made her feel more relaxed than she had felt in weeks, she spread her arms, closed her eyes and stretched, inhaling the air deeply and holding it in for a long moment before expelling it, dropping her arms and opening her eyes to Remi staring at her with some heat in his eyes while he shrugged into his blazer then pulled out a pair of sunglasses which he shielded his eyes with, she stared back at him determined not to let him win what seemed like a battle of wills, she kept her eyes on his as he came closer towards her like a predator stalking their prey when he stood right in front of her invading her space she took a step back and dropped her eyes from his face then turned to the side where a fire red two seat Porsche was parked a little way off from the helicopter’s landing pad, she glanced at Remi and noticed him go round to the driver’s side so she followed his lead and slid into the passenger seat.

As they wound down the road through a very scenic path the smooth purr from the powerful engine reverberated in her bones and when he revved the car and zoomed along through a quiet street past quaint coffee shops and florists and grocers which all seemed shut down, Her neck kept swinging back and forth as she tried to take in all the beautiful sights at once, in a short time they gunning towards a road with high fence on one side and a straight row of tall pine trees on the other side. She could tell there was a lot more to see but so far everything she had seen had her gasping in joy, this had to be the most beautiful place in the world, it looked so neat and smelt so clean, not a single garbage in sight. she noticed how quiet it was and she wondered if everyone was indoors because of the curse, she decided that was probably the reason and wondered how it would be when people were allowed out, if the streets would come alive with the sounds of people going about their regular businesses, she hoped she stayed here long enough to be able to see that, maybe even go shopping, she knew she would enjoy taking in the sights with more people around. This was all beginning to feel like a vacation, it was so easy to almost forget why she had come here in the first place.

They drove down the road until they ended up in front of a heavy looking ornate wrought iron gate which swung open as the approached and closed shut behind them, they went down a long drive with carefully tended flowerbeds and the most stunning fountain with koi fish swimming happily around and ended in front of a short staircase that led into the mansion, as Isla came out of the car holding her bags she gaped at the stunning structure, it was even more imposing than it looked from up in the sky, It had the presence of those impressive structures from the books she had studied on ancient architecture but unlike the dilapidated ruins in Greece, Rome and their likes this edifice had no cracks, broken columns or signs destruction and age, even though it was a very old building it was very obvious that very special care had been taken to maintain its grandeur and beauty.

Still rooted to the spot and admiring the awe inspiring building Remi took the bag she clung unto and with his other hand held her elbow and ushered her up the short stairs into a hallway with tall ceilings and a hallway runner so long it looked endless and so fluffy her boots sank into it as she walked on it, she looked at both of their reflections through the large gold and cream glided mirror sitting on top a cream and gold dresser as they walked past and marveled at how unruffled he looked while she looked like she had been through the wringer with her hair sticking out of the bun, she vainly tried to inconspicuously smooth the hair that was sticking out while they walked up the stairs to the third level where Remi finally stopped at a door which he opened and motioned for her to go in while he still stood in the doorway, his eyes went glassy and blank for a minute before they snapped back to attention and focused on her before he addressed her.

“Very soon you should receive a call from your friend, this will be your suite, you can freshen up and take a breather for a little while, everything you need is available. You will be informed about when to come down so you can meet a few pack members and we can discuss about the curse”. Isla nodded at him, then collected her satchel and watched as he turned on his heel walking back the way they had come, Isla watched his departing back for a minute then withdrew into the room and shut the door behind her.

The opulence of her room stunned her, this room looked better than her wildest dreams, It was done in mint green and greys with gold accents, from the four poster bed with its wispy mint green sheer canopy to the plush grey rug at the foot of the bed, she loved the high ceilings and crystal chandelier that hung from it, as she walked further into the bedroom she twirled and felt like she had walked into a fantasy, even the Paladin windows with their grey velvet curtains were perfect, she sat on the window seat and peeked out to an astonishing view of the sea she could imagine working here on her laptop and watching the reflection of a setting sun. If she had been asked to decorate her dream room on a no limit budget the room would have looked almost exactly like this one, understated, classy and chic, she walked through a door into an expansive walk-in closet which had the widest array of clothes and shoes she had ever seen, it looked like the inside of a designer store, she sat on a plush pink stool in front of an pink dresser, she pulled out a drawer from the dresser to reveal a collection of dazzling jewelry, she briefly wondered at the volume of items, for someone who was going to be here about a week it made no sense to her to have this much items but she shrugged the thought away and pulled off her clothes which she dumped in a laundry basket and went into bathroom.

When she cautiously opened the door and peered in she wasn’t disappointed, in theme with the rest of the suite it was all mint marble, pink porcelain and gold taps, there was a bowl of potpourri and sprigs of lavender, the counter was filled with different lotions and soaps and creams, her favorite thing was the loveliest jet tub right beside a glass shower stall she hoped she could find some time to luxuriate in it, she ached to get into the tub but practicality won and she entered the shower stall and fumbled with the complicated looking knobs until she figured it out and had her shower after which she went to the walk-in wardrobe and looked through the clothes, skeptically eyeing the dressy looking lace and silk dresses, she marveled at the soft tiny underwear and selected a matching pair in lavender, then chose to wear cream slacks and a maroon sweater, walking out she pulled out her phone and laptop from her satchel which she took to the window seat and plugged into the electric outlets then seamlessly connected to the Packhouse WiFi and looked through her inbox and found nothing needing her urgent attention so she typed out an email which she sent to her few customers informing them of the store’s closure, she shut down the laptop and picked up her notes, as she studied them the phone rang interrupting her concentration. She excitedly picked up the phone to a strange female voice answering her hello and she reined in her excitement and answered cautiously.

“Who am I speaking with?” Isla asked

“I am Andrea Jones, I have been contracted as a caretaker for Ms Stevens, she is impatient to speak to you, should I put her on?”

“Of course,” Isla answered quickly “please put her on.”

“Hello?” Ruth’s cheery voice came on. “How are you doing, I miss you so much, how is France my girl?”

“France is amazing Ruth, I can’t wait to tell you all about my beautiful room, you would love it, do you like your nurse?” Isla answered.

“Ah my girl, Andrea is so sweet but she tried to move me out of my house, you know I’m not gonna leave my house because of some little sprain” Ruth huffed.

“But it will hasten your healing and get you feeling better, it is just till I come back” Isla pleaded.

“I will be fine, Andrea is here there is really nothing more I need, I will only feel better when you come back.” Ruth stubbornly insisted.

Exasperated Isla reluctantly gave up on trying to convince her to move out of her house and just chatted with her, Papa Strand had called Ruth a Stubborn mule on numerous occasions, she knew better than to try to argue. After they bade each other goodbye Isla went back to her work until her stomach growled angrily and as though in answer a knock sounded on her door, she opened the door to see a woman in black pants and a white shirt which was buttoned up to her neck, her brown hair was held in a tight chignon and her smooth fair face was devoid of any makeup. Isla watched as the woman before her sized her up discretely, she looked like a member of staff in her serious outfit, she waited for her to make the first move.

“Good day Ms Strand, you must be hungry” she said, then Isla glanced down and noticed the woman had a trolley in front of her which was filled with a variety cheeses, meats, breads and wine in a decanter.

“may i?” The maid asked asked, gesturing towards the open door.

“Of course” Isla answered, stepping back into the room and opening the door further, She thanked the lady and did not even wait till she had shut the door behind her before she pounced hungrily on the food, moaning at the deliciousness, she felt like she had not eaten in days, it must be the freshness of her new environment, after she had sated her hunger she sat at the window and watched birds fly around and she waited for Remi’s summons.

Soon enough the woman in black and white came back and informed her that “Alpha Remi demanded her presence in his office.”

Isla felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, oh he demands ehn? She thought to herself, he was already being formal and acting like an overlord and she had not even spent up to a day in the house, however she smiled at the woman and answered, “of course, let me put on my shoes, I will be right with you.”

So saying she shut the door and went and wore a pair of cream ballet flats to match her pants and followed her, they walked past several doors and down a flight of stairs then the woman ushered her into an empty drawing room and left without a word shutting the door softly behind her. While Isla admired the teakwood furnishings in this room she noticed that there was an adjourning room that was slightly ajar, as she drew closer, urged by curiousity to investigate what lay beyond the door she heard muffled sounds of what seemed like arguing between two people, embarrassed by her inadvertent snooping and listening in on people she turned to go to the side of the room farthest from the door when she heard the word human and froze in her tracks and turned back to listen.

“I cannot wrap my head around the fact that you brought a human woman here, why Remi?”

Isla’s eyes widened, who was this woman that referred to Remi so informally, she thought people from his pack would be bound by werewolf law to refer to him by his title of Alpha. But Before she could react any further she heard the clicking of heels on the wood floor in the other room and barely had enough time to step away from the door before a tall shapely woman with sharp beautiful features and dark wavy hair so long it went past her waist swept out of the inner room, as she encountered Isla standing outside she stopped mid stride and her pretty amber eyes narrowed then she called out.

“Your human is out here.”