Chapter 5 #2
“Oh, spare me that crap, Dimitri!” she snapped.
“I will not watch you repeat his mistakes. I will not watch you throw away everything for a girl who means nothing. Who is nothing.” Her hands had fisted at her sides.
“I’ve tolerated her presence in this house for seven years.
I’ve watched her exist in spaces she has no right to occupy.
But I will be damned if I watch my son—the Alpha—legitimize that whore’s bastard. ”
“Don’t call her that.”
“I’ll call her whatever I want.” My mother had moved so close I could see the madness glinting in her eyes.
“And if you announce her as your Mate, if you choose her over your duty, over your pack, over the alliance with the Ashworths,” she’d paused, then said the next words slowly so I could grasp each word, “I will kill her myself.”
I’d stared at her, this woman who’d raised me, and seen a stranger. Seen the depth of her hatred, her madness, and her willingness to commit murder to get what she wanted.
“You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” She’d tilted her head. “Test me, darling. Announce that girl as your Mate at the ceremony. And I promise you, by morning, she’ll be dead.
An accident, perhaps. A tragic fall. A sudden illness.
These things happen.” Her smile had been serene, terrifying.
“No one would question it. After all, she’s just the charity case.
The bastard. Who would really miss her?”
It wasn’t just my mother who opposed the union. The entire Council had, too.
All the elders were now passing me smiles and congratulations, as though three weeks ago, they hadn’t sat in judgment and threatened to strip me of my title if I chose Isabella.
They’d called it a taboo, an unnatural bond, even when they knew Isabella and I weren’t actually step-siblings.
It was just the optics my father had presented to the pack before his death to protect her from being branded a bastard.
But optics were everything to them. And Isabella’s existence was inconvenient.
So, they’d given me an ultimatum: reject her and keep my crown, or choose her and lose everything—my title, my pack, my ability to protect anyone. Including her.
I’d chosen the path that would keep her alive.
And destroyed us both anyway.
My mother was still standing beside me, her hand reaching up to caress my face. “You’ve made me so proud, darling. You’re finally the man I always knew you could be—”
I caught her wrist mid stroke, my eyes meeting hers with no warmth. No gratitude.
She froze.
“Mother.” I guided her hand away from my face and stepped back, putting distance between us. “Excuse me.”
She stood frozen, something flickering in her eyes—surprise, maybe, or the first hint of uncertainty that her victory might not taste as sweet as she’d imagined—as she watched me walk away.
I hadn’t even made it ten feet when Selene materialized at my side like a ghost I couldn’t shake.
“Dimitri! There you are.” Her hand slid possessively around my arm. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
I fought the urge to groan out loud. This was the last straw. I couldn’t bear another second of this ceremony, another second of playing the devoted Alpha while my Mate was God knows where, broken and alone because of me.
A man approached us just as I wanted to tell of Selene. He was in his mid-thirties with cold eyes that assessed me like I was a rival. When those eyes slid to Selene, something passed between them, a look that lasted a fraction too long to be casual.
Recognition. Familiarity. And something else. Something I couldn’t quite place.
“Dimitri, this is Ethan Thorpe,” Selene said, her voice bright, “Alpha of Thornridge Pack in Top Hills. We’ve known each other since we were children.”
“Alpha Ravencrest.” Ethan extended his hand, his smile practiced and cold. “Congratulations on your coronation. And your engagement. You’re a fortunate man.”
I shook his hand, noting the calculating gleam in his eyes, the way his gaze kept drifting back to Selene. “Thank you. I hope you’re enjoying the ceremony.”
“Very much.” Another glance at Selene, this one lasting just a beat too long. “Selene has told me so much about Garnia. I’m looking forward to strengthening ties between our territories now that you’re united.”
“I’m sure we’ll find mutually beneficial arrangements,” I said, keeping my voice neutral and trying to end the conversation.
“I certainly hope so.” Ethan’s smile widened, showing too many teeth. “Perhaps we could schedule a meeting next week? I have some proposals that might interest you.”
“My schedule is rather full at the moment.”
“Of course, of course. A new Alpha has many demands on his time.” He raised his champagne glass in a toast. “To new beginnings, then. And profitable partnerships.”
I raised my glass mechanically, but I was barely listening anymore.
There was something off between Selene and Ethan. Something in the way Ethan looked at Selene, the way she leaned into him just slightly, the familiarity between them.
But I was too hollowed out, too restless to care. I needed to go to Isabella. I needed to see her. I needed to explain why I’d done it.
It was past midnight when I finally left the ceremony.
The party was winding down anyway. My face ached from all the forced smiles I’d had to pass around, and my chest felt like it was caving in.
Inside the mansion, I took the stairs two at a time, heading for Isabella’s room in the attic.
For the first time tonight, my wolf and I moved in sync.
It prowled beneath my skin, thrilled that I was finally doing what I should have done all night, that I was going to Isabella.
Yet beneath that exhilaration, I still felt his anger at me.
I knocked. “Isabella? It’s me. I know you’re angry, but please, I need to explain.”
Silence.
I knocked again, harder. “Isabella. Please.”
Nothing.
Dread coiled in my stomach. I twisted the handle of the door and swung it open. It was dark. And when I flicked on the light, my world stopped.
The room was empty. Not just empty, cleared out. The closet door hung open, showing bare hangers. The dresser drawers were pulled out, hastily abandoned. Her mother’s photograph, which always sat on the nightstand, was gone.
The only proof she’d ever existed here was the warm vanilla scent of her, lingering in the air.
I staggered back a step, yanked my phone from my pocket, and dialed her number with shaking fingers.
One ring. Two. Three.
We're sorry. The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try your call again later.
The automated voice sliced through me, cold and final. I tried again—same message.
“Fuck,” I hissed under my breath, the word ripping out raw and ragged. “Goddamn it, Isabella, pick up.”
My chest seized, a pain sharp and alien consuming me. My wolf thrashed inside me, violent and furious, every movement a hammering reminder of what I’d lost. The pain wasn’t just in my chest; it was everywhere, spreading through my bones, my blood, my very senses.
I sank to the floor, clutching my chest as the agony intensified. The back of my eyelids burned. I had never known despair like this. And I knew, with a bone-deep clarity, that the emptiness would not fade.
Not until I found her.