288 Vouchers
Ninety–Seven
Isabella’s POV
Hearing Alexander come in behind me, I walked to the bed and plopped down on it, my arms folded against my chest as I faced him. “I can’t believe I’m not allowed to go out, Alexander. Is this part of my pack duties? To be locked up. I waited for you all night yesterday and when you didn’t come, I tried to go out but they won’t let me. I dozed off and woke up this morning but they still wouldn’t let me and you were still out. Is this how it’s going to be? Because I…” I looked up at him and frowned when I noticed the blank look on his face. I expected him to have tried to calm me down and tell me that he was really busy and couldn’t come last night and then explain why he told the guards not to let me out but he said nothing which was really strange.
“I couldn’t even go to visit Chloe like I planned, are you going to tell me what’s wrong? You’re not…” I trailed off when Alexander retrieved something from his pocket and placed it beside me. My eyes widened as grabbed it and turned it to confirm. The phone did turn on and the selfie ́ of me with my parents stared back at me, confirming that it was indeed my phone. Did he take my phone with him when he left last night? Why on earth would he do that?
My head snapped up, “Are you going to explain this? Why did you take my phone? I was looking for it when I wanted to call you.” I pulled his arm and forced him to look at me. That’s when I noticed that his expression was still grim and that he hadn’t said even a single word since. “Are you going to say something? I was worried Alexander, talk to me.”
Taking my own arms, he suddenly pulled me to himself and hugged me tight. The warmth from the bond felt stronger and I could tell that he was deliberately doing that as though he wanted to comfort me.
I
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“Isabella.” He spoke.
“Hmm?” I replied.
“I’m sorry.
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My brow immediately wrinkled and I tried to pull away from him but he hugged me even tighter. “Alexander, what is this about?”
“What I’m about to tell you, I want you to be brave and take it easy. Don’t be too hard on yourself and remember that I love you and I’m always here for you, okay.” He said and I tensed.
I tried to pull away from him again but he resisted. This time, I shoved him with a bit more force that I actually broke free, “Tell me what this is about, right now!” I yelled at him. “You’re scaring me for fuck’s sake. what happened?!” I demanded, looking at him expectantly. He was really scaring me with all this cryptic nonsense. What did he mean by, ‘don’t be too hard on yourself and that he loves me and will always be there for me? Why all that all of a sudden? What was he about to tell me?
Pulling me gently to the bed, he made us sit down together before holding both my hands in his and holding my gaze, “Isabella, your parents are dead.” He said gently. “They died last night.”
My fingers turned cold in his hands but I didn’t remove them from his grip. My mind went blank for a second and it was like I forgot what he said until I began to hear his words ringing back from a distance.
And then I scoffed.
I scoffed once and then a second time until my shoulders began to shake as I burst into full blown laughter. Alexander looked alarmed and I had to give props to whoever taught him how to act so well. But why on earth would he joke about my own parent’s lives?
joke about people’s lives like that.” I told
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him, removing my hands from his and slapping his shoulder. “But nice try, your acting is really good.”
I fell back on the bed, my hand spread out beside me as I sighed. I waited for Alexander to laugh at any second, to tell me that he almost got me and that he was sorry for joking with my parents though but it didn’t come. The room was silent and the only thing I could hear was my heart beat as it slowly picked up once again. Could it really…no! I stopped myself from imagining such an awful thing. I raised my self up and sat up once again.
I turned to look at my mate and his expression was still grim and impossibly more downeast than before. I gaped at him, as I felt cold run through me, “Alexander, you’re joking right? It was a stupid ass joke, but you’re joking anyway, aren’t you?” I said, my entire being begging him to be joking.
When he said nothing and just stared back at me with bloodshot eyes, I got up on shaky legs and stumbled back. “What happened to them?” I whispered. “How on earth did my parents die?!” I yelled.
My legs were shaking, my hands and somehow, even my jaw. I felt cold and hot at the same time. I did not know what was going on and although he didn’t seem to be joking, I could not see how that could be correct. How on earth did my mom and dad die? Everything that happened last night came back to me and I remembered how dull he was when he came in. How he barely said anything and how downcast his expression was. I waved it off as tiredness at the time but could my parents really have been dead all this while? No, I refuse to believe it.
“Alexander!” I screamed, remembering that he had not replied me.
He moved towards me but I stepped back and his face fell as he stood where he was. “There was an attack yesterday. I got the call when I was in my study with Blake, Mason and Caleb. I sent them to the scene and to call the pack doctor while I came to check on you in case you had heard. You didn’t seem to have heard and I was still hopeful that they could be
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saved so I rushed to their house myself.” He paused, looking up at me. “They were already dead when I got there. There was no saving them according to the pack doctor. Your mom gave up while they were taking them into the ambulance and your dad shortly after.‘
I hugged myself tight and just nodded. His words pierced me like tiny little pins all over my body and I bit my lip. I couldn’t even cry. I was too numb and too tired to even remember how to. All I could do was nod as the ground and ceiling seemed to turn to waves on the sea. On a really stormy sea. This could not happen‘. I kept telling myself but then there was no way Alexander would go this far just to prank me. He was never one to joke around anyway. But then again, this could not happen. How could they just…
Was I really never going to see my parents again? Was my mom never going to scold me anymore and fuss all about the best clothes and and make up artists. Was I never going to hear my dad call me ‘princess‘ and tell me that he had put everything about that rumor behind him? Was this real? It’s never too late to hear that it was a cruel joke. I would be angry and give Alexander the silent treatment for an entire day but at least my parents would still be alive. It just didn’t seem fair that I could be orphaned so easily. What did they do to deserve to die like that? They never did anything wrong to anyone! Pain suddenly spread through my chest, did they die because they were the Luna’s parents?
“I swear on my life, Isabella, I will catch and kill whoever is responsible for this…” He trailed off, “I’m sorry. If I had just…” Alexander begun to say and when I looked up at him, he started to walk towards me but I held up my hand.
“Don’t. Please go, I want to be alone.”
“Isabella.”
“I said I want to be alone! Please leave.” I said, raising my voice as much as I could. I felt completely weak otherwise but I wanted to be alone. I
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didn’t want him here. I didn’t want to anyone here. I need space to…think.
His arms were to his sides and he looked like he was about to argue and protest but he managed to refrain from that as he nodded defeatedly before he turned and walked out of the room. When he did, my legs
finally gave up underneath me and I sank to the ground.
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