CHAPTER 13
Isabella's POV
Cleaning up the whole pack house, went with ease, surprisingly I saw no one around. But I was grateful because I didn't need to pretend I was still crippled.
The last smudge on the tile vanished under my cloth, looking down at packs main kitchen floor.
Finally I was done, but just as I was about drinking water from a cup, the heavy thud of the front door echoed through the foyer.
Click.
Shit, panic tried to seize my chest as I remembered mother's warning to not be seen. Quickly I abandoned my water, picking up my crutches.
I was far from the beta's wing which was on the second floor. I needed to move and I needed to move fast.
Running up the stairs would definitely get me caught so I pressed against the shadow of the wall beneath the grand staircase, my crutches clutched tightly to my side.
My heart was beating so fast and that would give me away to a house now filling with wolves.
I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on the center of my chest, willing pumping heart to slow down. I willed the muscle to slow, and to my horror, I felt it happen.
My heart rhythm dropped until my pulse was nothing but a low, distant throb. I held my breath, peering through the decorative woodwork of the banister.
The heavy oak doors swung wide. My father stepped in first, his chest puffed out, followed by the Alpha of our pack, Silas.
His presence always felt like a crushing weight, but today, it felt strangely... thin. Brittle.
Beside him walked Aleric.
He looked restless, his eyes scanning the room as if searching for someone. Behind them were my mother and Selena, both wearing their best high-society smiles.
But it was the three men following them who made the hair on my arms stand up. They weren't from our pack.
They were taller, broader, and their auras felt like jagged glass. Silver-Moon Alphas. The scouts and enforcers of the Northern Alliance.
"The house is impeccable as always, Silas," the lead guest said as he stopped in the center of the foyer, his nostrils flaring slightly.
"You have a dedicated staff."
"Just family and a few... assets," my father was the one who replied. He didn't even mention my name. To him, I was just the ghost that cleaned the floors.
My mother glanced toward the kitchen, her jaw almost dropped when she saw the pristine state of the room.
She looked confused, almost suspicious. I bet she knew I wouldn't have been able to finish. She wanted me to fail but guess what dear mother.
"Where is she?" Aleric whispered to Selena who was beside him.
"Isabella should be resting. I told you her ankle was strained from a fall," my mother said, her eyes narrowing at Aleric as if forcing him to drop it.
One guest, a man with graying temples and eyes like flint, didn't move. He stood perfectly still, his head tilting.
I knew that look. He was a Tracker. He was sifting through the scents of the house, peeling back the layers of different smell.
I pressed myself harder against the wall, my fingers digging into the wood. Don't look this way, I pleaded silently.
It happened in an instant. A sudden, violent throb erupted from the mark on my neck. My skin grew cold, and for a split second, my vision shifted.
I wasn't just seeing the hallway; I was seeing the heat signatures of the men in the room. I could see the different glow of their wolf spirits...
A particular one caught my attention but before I could dwell on it, the Tracker's eyes snapped toward the staircase. Toward me!
"Silas," the man said, his voice dropping to a dangerous level. "I thought you said this territory was cleared of all... external influences."
Alpha Silas frowned. I realized I had to move. I quietly slipped out of my spot, keeping low as I moved toward the back on the other side, out of their sight as Alpha Silas replied.
"It is. We haven't had a rogue sighting in months. Why?"
The Tracker took a step toward my old hiding spot. "Because your house doesn't smell like it's only wolves living in here."
"Huh?" Everyone in the room looked dumbfounded. The man took another step toward the stairs. "It smells..."
I didn't wait to hear the end of his sentence. My body reacted before my mind could even process the fear.
I bolted. I was through the kitchen and out the back door in a blur of motion so fluid it felt like I was skating on ice.
The door didn't even have time to slam before I was halfway across the backyard.
Shit. The realization hit me, I had left the crutches leaning against the wall. The "wolfless" girl had just sprinted out of the house at a speed that would make a Beta jealous.
I had basically handed the Tracker a signed confession. "Isabella?" I heard Aleric's confused shout from inside, followed by the thunderous sound of heavy footsteps.
I didn't look back. I couldn't. Every time my feet hit the grass, I felt a surge of electric power. I was gliding.
The wind whipped past my ears, and for the first time in my life, the forest didn't feel like a scary maze. It felt like an invitation.
Run, little wolf, run, the voice in my head purred. It wasn't mocking , it was almost… encouraging.
Where do I go? My mind screamed. I couldn't go to the woods; they'd hunt me down. I couldn't go back.
The Pack Hospital. Miss Sabrina was the only person who had recently looked at me with a little bit of kindness.
She was the only one who might know how to hide the... whatever this was. I swerved, my body leaning into the turn with a grace I hadn't possessed yesterday.
I skirted the edge of the training grounds, keeping to the thickest shadows of the pines. I could hear them behind me—the shifting of bones, the low, guttural growls of wolves taking form.
I reached the small, white-stone building of the infirmary and practically threw myself through the back entrance.
I slammed into the room, my chest heaving, but my lungs didn't burn. My heart was already slowing down, ready for the next fight.
"Miss Sabrina!" I wheezed, spinning around to lock the door. The room was dim, smelling of lavender and antiseptic.
Miss Sabrina jumped at the sound, her glasses nearly falling off her nose. "Isabella?" She gasped, her eyes dropping to my feet. "Where are your crutches? Child, you shouldn't be—"
"They're coming," I interrupted, my voice trembling as the adrenaline finally began to fade into pure terror.
I grabbed the collar of my hoodie, pulling it down just enough to show her the edge of the bandage.
"That Tracker. He smelled something. Please help me." Sabrina walked toward me, her nostrils flaring.
The moment she got within three feet, she recoiled as if she'd been slapped. Her face went pale.
"Goddess preserve us. "What is that disgusting smell?" She moved her hand to her nose, looking back and me in disgust.
"What does that me—? You know what? Just help me first!" I stepped toward her, desperate. Not even caring that she basically called me disgusting.
Miss sabrina moved back, almost gagging, "Stay back, Isabella."
I froze. "Miss Sabrina?" The word felt like lead in my mouth, taking another small step forward, my hand outstretched in a silent plea.
I just needed her to hide me. Nothing else. But as I moved, she practically scrambled away, hitting the edge of an exam table.
Her eyes, usually so warm and full of patient kindness, were wide with revulsion. "I said stay back!" Her voice was trembling. She looked at me like I was a foreign thing.
This rejection hit me more than I would admit. A lump formed in my throat. My family hating me was a fact of life, like gravity. But Sabrina?
"Please. They're right behind me. my family, the Tracker... i..I..just help me and I swear I would never bother you. Ever."
She looked at me, and I could see the internal war behind her eyes. She was debating whether helping me was worth the risk.
I was starting to lose hope, already planning my next run, when she finally reached out and grabbed my arm.
Her grip was surprisingly strong but she didn't hide the way she flinched when her skin touched mine.
She pulled me toward the back exam room, her eyes darting to the window as the first howl of the hunt echoed through the air.