As usual, the man was standing behind his leader who sat at the desk, standing perfectly still with his arms folded behind his back. He watched as his superior slammed the phone he'd been speaking on down onto the desk, sending the screen of the iPhone shattering immediately. He was breathing heavily, his body convulsing with the threat of his wolf tearing free from the confines of its human shield. The man took a cautious step back, knowing full well how terrifying his leader's wolf could be. It was why he was barely exposed, being more aggressive than ten Alpha wolves combined.
After a few minutes his leader had managed to calm down, although a vein still bulged in his neck. The man cleared his throat, finding the strength to speak. 'What is wrong?'
A chilling snarl rippled from the leader, showing his sharp and jagged teeth. 'It appears that the girl is soulmates with Moonlight Ridge's Alpha,' he spat. 'Isaac Winters.'
'I see.' The man tried not to let his surprise emit from his tone.
Isaac Winters was perhaps the only Alpha strong enough to challenge the leader. Moonlight Ridge was one of the few packs in the werewolf community to have the same family take succession of the hierarchy. In other packs hierarchy bloodlines had been altered due to their leadership being challenged by other wolves. It was rare for a pack to be under the same family's hierarchy for so long, and with rarity came great power.
The leader stood up from behind the desk and walked over to the buffet table which he always expected to be laden with fresh fruits and his favourite meats. He picked up a shiny red apple, examining it for a while before he spoke. 'I can no longer afford to rely on young wolves to bring her in.' He tossed the apple into the air and took a bite, leaving jagged teeth marks in the white flesh. 'You will go to Mountainous Region, to keep an eye on her until we strike.'
'Yes, sir.' The man masked his nervousness.
'I admit, I was concerned at the news of her being sent to Moonlight Ridge. Isaac Winters is ruthless.' The man chuckled darkly. 'How could he not be with that angry blood pumping through that privileged body of his? Any trespasser that goes onto his territory never comes out, and if they do they're barely recognisable. Now that the girl is his soulmate... well, the stakes are even higher if we are caught within the Moonlight Ridge border.' He clenched his fist, making the flesh and juice of the apple dribble between his fingers. 'I trust that you will be wise enough to follow her without setting off the Alpha.'
'I will not let you down.'
The man smiled wickedly. 'Good. You'll leave tonight. I expect reports from tomorrow morning. Oh, and while you're there, keep an eye on that brother of mine, will you?'
It was nearing midnight as Roxy laid on her back, her head nestled into the plump pillows as she stared up at the dark ceiling. She'd remained in her room ever since she got home after the argument with Isaac, too heartbroken to face him. Her belly rumbled with hunger but her pride had kept her upstairs while she could smell Kayla cooking something delicious in the kitchen. It'd smelt like pasta and she wondered what kind it was. Bolognese? Carbonara? Ravioli?
Screw Isaac.
The shower she'd sat in for close to an hour had helped a little. The warm water had washed away her tears as she'd cried and relaxed her tired body. Why was he torturing her like this? What had she ever done to deserve this? How could she even begin to apologise to Levi? After her shower she'd crawled into bed, remaining deep beneath the puffy duvet as she drowned herself in her books, glad to have her mind whisked away from her own problems.
Now though in the quiet darkness the trauma of the day haunted her. The guilt of being so naïve about how Isaac would react to her being with Levi gnawed away at her. Would Isaac have really hurt him? Could she not have friends? Or was it purely because she'd disobeyed him? She rolled onto her side, burying her face beneath the duvet like she had as a scared child. Somehow the soft feathers felt like they could protect her from anything. Isaac's green eyes flashed before her, alight with unrestrained rage as he'd torn towards her and Levi. A whimper escaped her lips when she remembered Levi running for his life as Isaac's body twitched and manipulated with the threat of his wolf being released. It was the number one rule of their world to never annoy an Alpha. They were more dangerous than any other werewolf – deadly even. Once their human body lost the battle to their raging wolf, the person they were inside disappeared. Replaced by a demonic wolf blinded by rage.
And she'd managed to piss off one of the most powerful Alphas her generation had known. Would Isaac ever hurt her if she pushed him too far? A cold feeling seeped into her body when she already knew the answer. Of course he would. There were too many tragic stories of soulmates losing control and harming one another. Some of them had even been killed at their hands of their own soulmate. Trust had made them blind.
Allowing herself to slide out of her duvet cocoon, she sat up against the headboard and hesitated before reaching for the mobile phone on her bedside table. With the number dialled, she padded out to the balcony as it rang in her ear. The warm air wrapped around the skin bared by her tank top and shorts. The person on the other end of the line picked up just as she sat on the deck chair and pulled her legs to her chest.
'Roxy?' Cleo's sleepy voice filled the line. 'It's midnight. Are you okay?'
Emotion bubbled up inside of her at the sound of her sister's voice. Although she still felt betrayed by the one person in her life she trusted, she craved to be in her sister's company. To have her arms wrap around her, her hand brushing her hair in soothing strokes while she whispered reassuring words in her ear. Just like she had when Roxy had shifted for the first time. The sounds and pain of her muscles tearing and bones snapping had been traumatising.
'I miss you, Cleo. I want to come home. Please, let me come home.' Roxy's voice broke and she sucked in a shaky breath as she looked up at the night sky.
In the background she heard Trent's sleepy voice ask Cleo who was on the phone before the sounds of her sister walking through the house carried down the line. 'Believe me when I say I want you home too. I'm so lost without my little sister. It's been the two of us for so long... being apart like this just feels... strange.' She sighed. 'It's not safe yet though.'
'But I hate it here.' Roxy felt her anger rise with every word she said. 'Why did you send me here, of all places? To a soulmate who's disgusted at the very sight of me. How could you do that to me, Cleo?'
'We didn't have much choice.' She sniffled down the line which took Roxy aback. She'd never seen her sister upset, always being the pillar of strength. 'I thought Isaac might have changed his mind when you saw each other again.'
'Well, he hasn't,' muttered Roxy bitterly. 'So how much did you have to cough up for his bodyguard services?'
Cleo was silent for a short while before her confused voice spoke. 'What are you talking about? We offered him as much money as we could possibly afford, which you know isn't all that much, but he wouldn't take it.'
Roxy frowned, thinking of the conversation she'd had with Isaac in the office. The thought of my soulmate being harmed didn't sit well with me – or my wolf.
'You're telling me he's really doing this out of the kindness of his stone-cold heart?'
'Maybe it's not as stone cold as you think,' said Cleo's amused voice. 'Trent has known Isaac for a while from the Alpha meetings. Even though he tries to keep it private, word is that his parents' deaths messed him up pretty badly.'
'What happened to them? Isaac and Kayla don't seem to talk about it.' Roxy chewed at her lip.
'I'm not sure. Trent said it was never his place to tell and if they won't either then I'm assuming it was something beyond what we could ever imagine.' Cleo's voice was gentle. 'I hate what he's doing to you but maybe there's a reason why he's so cold.'
Roxy swallowed. 'There's cold and then there's Isaac.' She inhaled a shaky breath. 'Has Trent ever scared you? Like really scared you?'
She could imagine Cleo pursing her lips together as she remained quiet. 'What makes you ask something like that?' Her voice deepened. 'Has Isaac hurt you, Roxy?'
'Not physically,' she mumbled. 'Earlier today I was hanging out with a new friend I'd made. I may have gone behind Isaac's back to do it and he may have been a lone wolf.' She sighed heavily. 'Isaac tracked us down and totally freaked. I thought he was going to kill my friend, Cleo... I thought he was going to kill me.'
'Oh, Roxy,' groaned Cleo. 'You need to understand that Isaac isn't only an Alpha but he's also your soulmate. That is a dynamic duo. Alphas are already protective of their pack and with you being his soulmate... the protectiveness he feels for you as his soulmate can be intense. Especially when you're gallivanting around with a lone wolf while you're specifically there to be lying low.'
'I never asked to be a Luna!'
'Neither did I,' said Cleo in a calming tone before pausing. 'To answer your question, yes, there was a time when Trent scared me.' A shaky sigh breathed down the line. 'It was the same kind of situation. I'd gone to see a late movie in town with some of my friends one night. As we were coming out a group of guys who'd had too much to drink at the nightclub across the street began harassing us.'
Roxy heard her gulp.
'I don't know how but Trent found us in a matter of minutes, just as one of them tried copping a feel of my breasts. I'd never seen Trent so angry. His eyes were black... and before I knew it his wolf was staring down the guy. I knew I had to put a stop to it. I didn't want him to have the murder of a human on his conscious. I thought he'd listen to me. But he didn't even recognise me. Before I knew it, he'd slung me ten feet down the alley we were in. It was only when I cried out in pain something got through to him.' Her voice became sad. 'I was scared of him for weeks after that, walking around on eggshells every time I was around him because I was so afraid of sending him over the edge. Trent hated himself for a long time too. Every time he looked at me I could see him remembering what he'd done to me that night.'
Roxy was stunned by the story she'd just heard. Trent had done that to Cleo? She thought of the Alpha who melted into a puddle at the sight of her sister, who treated her like a princess. It was hard to imagine him even saying a nasty word to Cleo, let alone losing his temper at her in such a violent way.
'How can you ever be with someone who could kill you the moment they're angry?' Her body prickled as she felt Isaac's presence moving about above her. He was awake, and most likely listening to their conversation.
'Because we learn that that evil side to them isn't the real them. It's a disease, Roxy. As soon as that anger takes over it's like they're possessed – they don't get a say in what their wolf does. It's payback for all the time they've had to sit in the passenger seat to their human side.' Her tone became light. 'But above all, that love you share that's like no other, the bonds our Moon Goddess tied you with, eliminates all the bad. You were put together for a reason. Over time I'm sure you'll be shown why.'
Roxy was silent, mulling over her sister's words. 'I'm sorry I ignored you.'
Cleo laughed lightly. 'Hey, I'm sorry for sending you to your emotionally complicated Alpha soulmate.'
The two sisters talked for a little while longer before both deciding they better get some sleep and ending the call. Roxy crawled back into bed feeling like some of the weight which had been burdening her shoulders had been lifted. As she shimmied down below the blankets, she wondered if Isaac was still awake, thinking about the words she'd said to Cleo. In a way, she hoped he had.