The silence that followed after the door shut was heavier than her mother's words. She stood there with her fist clenched, trying to hold herself together.
Then came the faintest rustle behind her. He stepped out from behind the curtain, an unreadable expression on his face...one between anger and disbelief.
For a long time, neither of them spoke, and he finally did...
"So that's it? They've decided your life without even asking you? " he said, his voice low.
" That's how it has always been, decisions made behind closed doors. Alliances, promises, and sacrifices, and now it's my turn to fulfil it."
" You're not a property, Isabella," he responded . They can't just take decisions for you concerning your life and freedom just for the benefit of the pack or for whatever reason it is.
Her laugh was sharp and, " Tell that to my father. He's the one who needs to hear all that."
Isabella's chest aches from holding it all in. The fear, the fight, and the ache of what she was about to lose, it was all pressing down on her until her knees gave up.
She sank unto the floor beside her bed. A sob escaped through her lips before she could stop it.
He was bedside her in an instant. "Hey..."
"Don't," she whispered to him. " Please don't make this any harder than it already is,"
His body went still, hands clenched beside him. " Are you really just going to go along with them and do as they say? This isn't like you Bella ".
She lifted her head and glanced at him, eyes red and glistening from crying. " What choice do I really have?. What can I do?, if I fight, it won't be only my life but everything my parents have built will crumble and the council and pack will turn on them and on you. "
" You don't have to do this alone, Isabella," he said . "You know you can always count on me, and I would be there for you whenever you need me. "
She gave a short tired nod. " I know." She let the lie hang between them like a fragile thread .
"I'll go through with it , I'll keep my head down. For now, " she whispered the last part to herself.
He reached out for her hands as if to promise he'd help her. She let his fingers graze over hers but refused to let him in, not yet. Not with this.
When he drew back, his voice was low. "If you change your mind and ever want me to fight for you and ever need me , then just let me know. You know where to find me when the time comes."
She forced a small smile. " I'll tell you when I can." she said, and the words were careful lips sealed, knowing that some promises were to be made later when plans were set and risks measured. He watched her for a long moment and then bowed as if to accept the decision.
After he left, silence closed in around her. She sat alone in the dark and let her mind wonder off, about the things she'd have to say, questions she'd have to ask, and the small, quiet decisions she would make when the time came. Those plans lived in the private chamber of her mind, like a secret she couldn't afford to reveal. Not even a tiny bit of it must be known any one