Sixty
Isabella’s POV
I was quiet for about a minute as I let my blood settle and my body calm down as Antonio moved at a leisurely speed like he had no care in the world which was most likely a fact…no real care at least. In that minute I mourned the loss of my freedom and waste of my efforts. The pain in my leg seemed to intensify a thousand times more and I wondered if it was just an illusion from the heartache I was feeling. I wallowed in self pity until I became filled with rage and then I began to hit against Antonio’s back with my balled up fist and all my strength.
“Let me go! Let me go you fucking asshole!” I screamed until I began to sob. “I just want to go home. Please, I beg you! I did nothing to you, I don’t even know you!” I cried.
I felt myself slip off of Antonio’s body as he dropped me before I collapsed on the ground on my knees. With a vice grip on my shoulder, he forced me to look at him. “You don’t know me?” He scoffed before squatting so he was more level with me even though his height still surpassed mine. “My name is Antonio Stone. Abandoned son of the former Alpha of the Red Moon pack Twin brother of Alexander Stone, Alpha of the Red Moon pack…well at least for now.” He added with a chuckle. “Who is also your mate, unfortunately for you dear Bella. I can’t believe you’d say you don’t know me when I know you very well. We were what? Six years old? When you went to stay with your grandparents for all those years. I didn‘ t think that would be enough for you to forget me though. It’s
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a pity you grew up to be that betrayer’s mate.”
I looked at him in shock of what I was hearing. Did I really know him? Was there a possibility of us playing tag or sharing Legos as kids? My time away from the pack plus coming back to not meet him must’ve all aided in helping me forget him. Plus the fact that no one talked about him. When I got back I heard fleetingly of the Alpha’s son, the future Alpha who was schooling abroad but that was all. I didn’t have any memory of Alexander from when we were kids either.
“I’m sure you know who I am now.” He said before roughly pulling me to my feet and in one swift motion, he yanked at my dress and a gasp fell from my mouth as I heard the sound of the fabric ripping tear through the air. I glanced at his hand where a piece of the blue fabric of my dress now stayed in his grip and then before I could fathom what was happening, he stepped forward and placed the fabric in my mouth, wrapping it around my face before tying it securely at the back of my neck in a violent knot that had him shoving at my head as he made it. I wondered if his manhandling of me was part of who he was and before I could even complete that thought, he hoisted me up and threw me up on his shoulder one again while I stay still resigned to everything including the uncomfortable way I had been positioned.
When we got back to the mansion,-as it was more that than the tower I imagined it to be–Antonio stopped and put me down, turning me around to face the building. I saw that we got back at the exact point where I escaped through and up ahead was the opening of the vent, where I had jumped down from and twisted my ankle.
“How does it feel, staring at your failure in the face like this.” He said in a deep mocking voice just beside my ear.
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It was like a deep sucker punch in the gut and I promise you, I felt it. I felt it exactly as his words wanted me to and maybe even more. I stared at it though, ignoring the burning in my eyes and hoping that would prevent the tears from falling. I stared at my failure like he wanted me to until he grabbed my hand and forcefully yanked at me in an unnecessary gesture before pulling me with him as he went around the building with an unreasonably fast pace while I struggled to catch up until it began to feel like I was a rag doll in the hands of a toddler.
Every part of the mansion was new to me as the only places I had seen where the room I was locked up in and the vent had crawled out through. Antonio pulled me until we got to the stairs and despite how uncomfortable it was to be thrown on his shoulder, I was grateful he did that instead of dragging me up the stairs.
He kept moving until we got to what felt seemed like a living room before he dropped me to the ground and plopped down on the seat. I could see guards situated at every door and maids at one end not–so–subtly glaring at me as they waited for a command or whatever it was they were here for.
Antonio looked down at me, his shadow looming over me intimidatingly before throwing back his head in loud laughter that made his shoulders quake. He laughed like me just being on the floor before him…at his mercy simply amused him.
Glancing at the maids, he beckoned to them with a flick of his hand. “She has injured her ankle. Treat it and wrap it up in a bandage if there’s any.” He said and I raised my brow. Why would he ask them to treat my wound if he was going to kill me anyway?
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Antonio’s eyes met mine once again before cocking his head at me as the maids grudgingly went to do as they were told. Then he suddenly got up and went to stand behind me. The next thing I heard was the sound of his dagger being unsheathed and my head spun in fear and confusion. My heart rate quickened and then when I felt the disturbance in the air just near the back of my neck as well as the swish of the knife, the organ just about stopped all together until everything came to an end and I felt the cloth that was stuffed in my mouth and tied at my neck grow lose and I gasped, the cloth falling out of my mouth as I collapsed forward, my chest heaving uncontrollably.
Antonio walked back around me and came to seat back on the couch facing me. He had the amused look on his face once again and I felt rage bubble in my chest as I stared at him, my forehead slowly wrinkling and my eyebrows pulling together as my stare turned into a glare. The maids reappeared then and silently they grabbed my foot and got to work. The area was already swollen and an angry red and I removed my eyes from Antonio, glancing to the side before shutting them as I tried to block out the pain. They were soon finished and I turned back to the nightmare in front of me.
“What are you playing at?” I hissed out.
The amused look wiped off his face and he glared at me, “I should be asking you that.” He said with a scoff, “To think that you would actually believe that helpless little you would be able to run away from me. I told you, Bella. There is no escaping this place. Alexander would come here and watch you suffer before I kill him. He will die, do you hear me? You on the other hand…” He said coming closer and placing his finger underneath my jaw before tilting it up so I was looking at him closely. “I may not kill you after all. You’re cute and just
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maybe I’ll keep you for myself.” He said before pushing back and sinking further into the chair as he appeared thoughtful, “To be my Luna or my mistress, now that’s the decision I have to make.”
I felt my skin crawl and bile rise to my throat as I looked at the man before me in pure rage. Unable to control myself and my anger, I jumped to my feet and pounced on him, punching him with all my strength until his eyes went black and he flipped me over trapping my wrists in his fists and pushing them down on me.
“Take her back to her room!” He growled before getting up from me just as guards grabbed each of my hands and began to drag me away.
“Kill me. Kill me, cause I’d rather die than be yours!” I screamed out while he just looked at me. “You said if you caught me trying to escape you’d kill me so kill me you asshole!” I screamed, tears pouring down my face as I was carried upstairs, thrown into the room and had the door slammed in my face. At the sound of the key turning in the lock, I collapsed on the ground as sobs wracked through me.
”
