Chapter 379
Three hundred and eighty one
Isabella POV
Luna Lisa kept wiping at her face, laughing through the tears as she stared at me, then at Wesley, as though she couldn’t decide whether to celebrate or fall apart.
“Oh, goodness,” she whispered. “Oh, my goodness p>
My limbs had lost their strength, and my head felt light. I could hear people speaking, but their voices seemed to come from somewhere far away. The daughters helped me toward the chapter house while Luna Lísa stayed close, still wiping her tears, and I barely managed to keep my eyes open.
“I feel strange,” I murmured.
Grandma Cassidy glanced at me. “You’ll be fine p>
By the time they got me upstairs, I could barely stand. The daughters helped me into a warm bath. Water moved around me, carrying away the dirt and traces of the clearing, but the strange feeling remained.
“Did I take something from him?” I asked, my voice thick with sleep. “When I marked him p>
Grandma Cassidy touched my forehead, then exchanged a look with Luna Lisa.
“Your body is reacting to the bond,” Joanna said. “Let it p>
The warmth seeped deeper into me, and the world grew softer.
“She’ll probably go into heat soon,” Luna Lisa murmured to Grandma Cassidy.
“That may be exactly what she needs,” Grandma Cassidy replied.
Their voices blurred together, and I couldn’t tell anymore whether I was awake or dreaming.
After the bath, they dressed me in clean clothes and placed a bowl of warm lentil soup in my hands. Every part of me hung suspended between exhaustion and an intoxicating calm, the way the body feels after waking from a deep sleep, when the mind hasn’t caught up yet.
They took me to a room and settled me into bed. I remember the blanket being pulled over me, then nothing.
When I opened my eyes again, evening light filtered through the curtains. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. My head felt clearer, and the heaviness from before had disappeared.
I turned toward the other side of the bed and gasped at the sight of dark hair resting against the mattress. Wesley was sleeping beside me, his head near the edge of the bed, one arm tucked beneath him.
I reached toward him, afraid that touching him might wake me from whatever dream I had fallen into, and my fingers slipped through his hair.
His eyes opened. The sight of them made my heart swell.
The darkness that had haunted his eyes during his illness was gone. He looked like himself again.
“You’re awake,” I whispered.
He pushed himself up and pulled me into his arms.
The hug crushed the air from my lungs, but I welcomed it, burying my face against him as his arms tightened
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around me. His mouth found mine, and the kiss carried all the fear and relief we hadn’t been able to express while everything around us fell apart.
His hands moved over me with an urgency that pulled a laugh from me against his mouth, and when he drew me closer, the heat between us rose.
“Wesley p>
,” I murmured, pressing a hand against his chest. “Are you okay p>
He kissed the corner of my mouth. “Better than ever p>
I touched his face, studying him. “Don’t hide things from me p>
His smile faltered.
“Tell me what happened p>
He looked away, and I knew there was something he hadn’t told me.
“I killed him. He’s dead. He didn’t survive the attack p>
My chest tightened.
Part of me had expected Desmond to survive. Wesley seemed to read the thought on my face.
“He had something in him,” he said. “The same Meridian poison. He’d taken it before the duel, meant to use it against me. Instead it turned on the poison already fragmenting me p>
I stared at him.
“So you didn’t technically kill him. The poison did p>
He sighed, and I felt the weight behind it. I cupped his cheek, then wrapped my arms around him.
“Wesley, it was a duel. Don’t punish yourself for it p>
His body stayed tense against mine.
“Isabella p>
“You didn’t kill him.” I pulled back enough to meet his eyes. “He would have celebrated if the outcome had gone the other way p>
A faint breath escaped him.
“All’s fair in love and war,” I murmured. “And if there’s any justice in this world, I hope Desmond rots wherever he ends up and never finds peace p>
The corner of his mouth lifted.
“I thought you were incapable of wishing anyone harm p>
“Not Desmond. Not after what he did to me p>
He pulled me against him again, holding me as though he understood everything I couldn’t put into words.
The door opened. One of the daughters stepped inside, and Wesley looked up.
“Can I take her home tonight p>
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“No p>
?” he snapped.
“You’re both staying in this room tonight.” The daughter gave him an amused look. “Without any distractions p>
She turned and walked out, and I burst out laughing as Wesley closed the door behind her and locked it.
He crossed the room and caught me around the waist, pulling me against him. I laughed as his mouth found mine again.
“Why do you have to be so aggressive p>
“Because I’ve spent enough time without you p>
His forehead rested against mine, and my fingers brushed the mark on his neck. My teeth had left their imprint against his skin, and seeing it stirred something warm inside me.
“When you shifted, how did you know what to do?” he asked.
“I didn’t. My wolf did p>
He smiled faintly.
“She wasn’t afraid of me p>
“She should have been. But she loved your big, beautiful wolf p>
He stared at me as though I’d said something ridiculous.
“Beautiful? You’re talking about a mad creature p>
My fingers traced the mark on his neck.
“That’s what makes it complicated. There was something frightening about him, but beneath all of that, I could feel how much he wanted to find my wolf p>
Wesley’s eyes softened.
“You’re the first person who has ever said that p>
“Maybe everyone else was looking at what he could do.” I smiled. “I was looking at who he was trying to reach p>
He lowered his gaze.
“I don’t know why I want to believe you p>
“Because it’s the truth,” I said, leading him to the bed.
“So what happens now p>
“There’s a formal review after an Alpha dies in a sanctioned duel,” he said. “The council has to establish that the duel followed the rules and that the death wasn’t an unauthorized killing. In Desmond’s case, that shouldn’t be difficult. There’s evidence of what he did to you, evidence surrounding Maverick’s removal, his Meridian connections, and enough testimony about his history with my family. Nobody’s going to look at what happened today and pretend it came out of nowhere. He got his chance. He just didn’t get the ending he wanted p>
I sighed and lay back in bed.
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“That’s not the worst part p>
brows drew together. “What could possibly be worse p>
“Barbara killed Beatrice p>
The words struck so hard I nearly slipped from the bed.
“What p>
Wesley reached out and caught my arm.
I could barely breathe.
“She killed her twin p>
He nodded.
“Did she confess p>
“We don’t need a confession. The evidence is overwhelming. There are records connecting her to Meridian’s network, including the purchase of the poison used on Beatrice. Her own mother has started admitting what she saw between them p>
My stomach turned.
“Is Barbara Meridian p>
“She used a Meridian poison. She got it through a dealer named Marcus. He’s already being hunted. She’s a doctor, and Meridian has connections throughout the medical world. Barbara was in med school when she got the poison from someone inside their network and used it on Beatrice p>
“Then what about the letter Beatrice left you? The one where she said she couldn’t handle the pressure and everything became too much p>
“Barbara fabricated it p>
I gasped. A chill moved through me as I tried to reconcile the woman I had known with what Wesley was describing. Barbara had lied, manipulated people, worked with Desmond, and murdered her own twin. There was a point where calling someone evil stopped being enough to explain them.
“She’s not merely cruel, Isabella. Something is wrong with her. The lengths she goes to, the obsession, it’s beyond ordinary malice. The daughters plan to handle her p>
I frowned. “The daughters are handling her trial p>
“Not exactly.” He shifted closer. “The council will deal with the legal side. The daughters are dealing with something else. They intend to strip that control away and put the evidence in front of her until she can no longer manipulate everyone around her p>
“What does that mean p>
“It means she won’t be able to hide behind whatever story she decides to tell. Everything they’ve gathered will be confronted directly p>
I stayed silent, trying to picture Barbara sitting somewhere with nowhere left to run.
Wesley took my hand.
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“Don’t carry all of this. You have enough on your mind p>
How am I supposed not to think about it p>
“Because none of it is yours to solve tonight.” His thumb brushed across my knuckles. “Desmond is dead. Maverick is safe. Barbara has been exposed, and the people responsible for dealing with her are doing exactly that. You need to heal, and I need to figure out what happens to my wolf now that he’s finally decided to cooperate with me. One day at a time p>
The next three days blurred together.
There was no grand moment when I realized I had gone into heat. My body simply changed, and by the time I understood what was happening, Joanna had already taken one look at me and declared it the best thing that could have happened.
“Your heat has started,” she said, as though announcing good weather. “This gives you both the chance to strengthen the bond p>
I stared at her, too overwhelmed to argue.
Wesley had been warned not to leave me unattended. His condition had already improved after our first encounter, and now Joanna wanted to see whether the bond could push him further. If his wolf could recognize me fully as his mate and complete the mark on my neck, it could help mend the fragmentation that had ruled his life.
We stayed in Wesley’s house while Luna Lisa and Grandma Cassidy took turns checking on us, bringing everything we needed.
The days passed in a haze of heat, sleep, and closeness. We were given space, but never without someone nearby.
Harrison and Iris had moved into the Alpha House with Maverick after the kidnapping. I had worried my son would wake screaming or grow frightened whenever I wasn’t there, but familiar faces surrounded him, and the Alpha House kept him safe.
By the fourth morning, I felt like myself again.
Wesley sat beside me and said, “Do you want to watch Barbara with the daughters p>
I turned toward him so quickly that he laughed.
“Do I want to watch Barbara with the daughters?” I repeated. “I’d trade anything for that p>
His laughter filled the room.
“That’s a little disturbing. I’ll remember never to get on your bad side p>
“Fine,” he said. “We’ll go after dinner p>
The thought of seeing Barbara again stirred something wickedly satisfying in me. After everything she had done, watching her face consequences felt like entertainment I could enjoy without guilt.
We ate before leaving, and by the time we climbed into the car, the sun had begun to sink. Wesley drove while I settled beside him, watching the landscape slip past the window.
My thoughts returned to the kidnapping.
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“I’ve been wondering about the rogue Lord who released Maverick. He said he doesn’t kidnap children. Who was
Wesley scoffed. “Probably someone who didn’t like Desmond p>
“That simple p>
“Nothing about rogues is simple p>
I smiled. “He did have a certain appeal p>
Wesley frowned. I tried to hide my smile.
“Are you attracted to rogues now p>
The question came with such exaggerated suspicion that I burst out laughing, throwing my head back against the
seat.
“You sound jealous p>
“I’m assessing a potential threat p>
He kept frowning, but the corner of his mouth betrayed him. I reached over and touched his arm.
“Relax. I have no plans to run away with a rogue p>
“Good p>
My laughter returned as he shook his head and focused on the road.
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Lucia Morh
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.