Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Isabella POV
I hadn’t realized how much seeing Dimitri again would affect me…and my wolf. I was restless now, torn between instinct and resentment. Between the primal urge to run to him and the human instinct to run far, far away.
The dress suddenly felt like I was wrapped in five layers of clothing. My pulse hammered violently against my ribs. I was certain everyone around me could hear it. And damn it, I felt sweat beading on my forehead. The last thing I needed was to ruin my perfect makeup.
I walked further away from him, even though I could feel his gaze burning into my skin. I stopped at the makeshift bar at the center of the hall, needing something—anything—to ground me. To give me a moment to collect myself before I fell apart in front of hundreds of people.
I stood with my back to the crowd, gripping the edge of the bar counter, focusing on calming my racing heart.
But, even now, I could still feel him. Apparently, he’d shut down whoever interrupted us earlier, and his attention was back on me.
I felt Dimitri’s gaze burn into my bare back. The intensity of it made my skin prickle with awareness, made my traitorous body respond in ways it absolutely should not.
And the crazy thing? Some part of me—some broken, stupid part of me—liked it.
I welcomed it. My wolf practically preened under his attention.
I hated that I still felt this way. Hated that my body remembered him, wanted him, despite everything he’d done.
I needed my wolf and me to start seeing him as what he was: my stepbrother, the one Uncle Asher had asked to protect me, not the man my body remembered.
Any other thought would be unnatural. Taboo.
Dangerous. But my subconscious pricked at me.
I’d already broken that moral boundary once.
I even had a child for him. A little late for self-restraint now, wasn’t it?
The bartender appeared, snapping me out of my thoughts. “What can I get you, ma’am?”
“Whiskey. Neat.” I needed something strong.
As he prepared my order, I tried to make sense of what I was feeling. The Mate bond was severed. Dimitri had made sure of that when he rejected me publicly, tore it apart with his own words. It should be gone, nothing left but scar tissue.
So why did being near him feel like touching a live wire?
Five minutes later, I felt him beside me. My entire body locked up.
“We need to talk, Isabella.”
I turned to find him standing beside me, close enough that I could see the gold flecks in his eyes.
“We should go somewhere private,” Dimitri said quietly. “To talk.”
I didn’t know what pissed me off more—the fact that he thought I’d ever want to speak to him again, or the way he said it, like it was a given. Like I would simply follow him. Like I was still his little, vulnerable sister who still needed his care and attention.
“I have nothing to say to you.” I picked up my whiskey and turned to leave.
But he didn’t let me. Dimitri’s hand shot out, catching my wrist. Not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to keep me in place.
My entire body ignited. The contact sent electricity racing up my skin, setting every nerve in my body alight. Heat pooled low in my stomach. My wolf whimpered, pressing against my control, urging me to lean into his touch.
I jerked my arm away, as though his touch burned. But it was too late. My body was practically humming with unwanted awareness. And I think Dimitri noticed it. Fuck. Me.
“Dimitri, darling.” A saccharine voice cut through the moment, and I blinked rapidly, trying to gather myself and my thoughts.
I followed the sound of the voice to see Selene emerge from the crowd.
Dimitri didn’t even bother turning to see who it was.
She glided toward us in a silver gown, her blonde hair perfectly styled in an updo, her smile as malicious as ever.
She appeared unbothered by the sight of Dimitri and me together—but the fury that burned in her blue eyes told me she was just as insecure as she’d been five years ago, even though she tried to hide it behind a mask.
When she reached us, she slipped her arm through Dimitri’s possessively, pressing against his side.
“There you are,” she purred. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Dimitri’s jaw tightened, irritation flickering across his face, but he didn’t pull away from her. And that—that tiny detail—told me everything I needed to know.
I’d done my research over the past two weeks.
Not because I was curious. No—far from it.
It was just a know thy enemy kind of research.
Garnia Pack was thriving under Dimitri’s leadership.
Their territory had expanded, their businesses were flourishing.
Ravencrest Global’s stock had nearly doubled.
They’d secured major deals with companies across three continents.
And Dimitri had married Selene Ashworth in a lavish ceremony that had been covered by every major werewolf publication.
I’d seen the photos—Dimitri in a tuxedo, Selene in a white dress that probably cost six figures, both of them looking like the perfect couple. The headlines had called it “the wedding of the decade”.
Looking at those photos had felt like being stabbed. Even though I’d known it was coming, even though I’d spent five years building a new life, seeing concrete proof that he’d moved on had reopened old wounds.
“Well, well…Isabella. I didn’t expect to see you here. I thought they didn’t let riffraff into events like this these days,” Selene said condescending as usual. But gone were the days when her words had any bite.
“And yet here you are,” I answered evenly, forcing a smile onto my face.
Her eyes narrowed. “My husband runs a Fortune 500 company. I’m here to support him.
” Her gaze raked over me from head to toe, taking in every detail of my dress with barely concealed disdain.
“Though I have to wonder—who did you sleep with to afford that dress? Or is it borrowed? It looks fake and cheap. Just like you.”
The insult was meant to remind me I was still, in her eyes, the charity case. The girl who had nothing.
I smiled wider, letting my diamond earrings catch the light. “I bought it myself, actually. With my own money. From my own very lucrative career.” I tilted my head. “But I suppose you wouldn’t understand the concept of earning things through your own merit.”
Selene’s face flushed with anger, her mouth opening for what would undoubtedly be a scathing retort, but an announcement stopped her before she could say anything.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice boomed over the speakers, “if you would please take your seats, the program is about to begin.”
I grabbed my whiskey from the counter, sipped a little.
I caught his haze just before I walked away. A faint smirk tugged at his lips, and something that looked like pride and admiration swirling in his eyes. But I ignored it and walked away.
I made my way to my assigned table, where Marcus was already seated. He didn’t even have the courtesy to help me into my seat. I drew out my chair and sat, ignoring the questioning look in his eyes.
The program began, and while the host kept droning on about “the rise of ethical AI and global collaboration in the digital age”, I pulled out my phone and texted the nanny.
Me: How’s it going with Adele? Hope she’s being good.
The response came almost immediately.
Sarah: Oh, she’s adorable! Though she won’t stop arguing with me about whether dragons can beat unicorns in a fight. She’s very passionate about her dragons.
I chuckled to myself, wondering what got Adele so invested in dragons.
I’d always presumed it had something to do with the bedtime story I’d read her once about the merchant who was half dragon, half human, and would fly up to the princess’s chambers high in the palace and take her somewhere special every night.
I chuckled again, clicking my phone shut and slipping it into my clutch.
When I looked up, still smiling, I found Dimitri’s gaze locked on me from across the room.
The smile instantly vanished, and my body did that thing it had been doing all night when Dimitri stared at me.
I shifted in my seat, forcing my gaze back to the stage.
“And now, it’s time to introduce a very special guest,” the host’s voice rang out again.
“A woman who has taken the tech world by storm, whose innovative strategies have revolutionized the industry. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Estelle Crawford, Vice President of Crane Internationale—one of the largest tech conglomerates in Europe!”
I stood, smoothing my dress, and walked to the stage.
As I passed Dimitri’s table, I caught the look on Selene’s face—anger, disgust, shock that I was someone. But Dimitri’s expression was different. It looked like…pride. I pushed aside the way it made me feel, climbed onto the stage, took the microphone, and began my speech.
I’d prepared for it, so it was smooth. Plus, I’d gotten used to speaking at events like this. I did it all the time back in Zurich.
Twenty minutes later, the audience was applauding as I concluded my speech. I bowed courteously, smiling toward the crowd before making my way back to my table.
Now that that was done, I thought it was time to call it a night.
I was exhausted, not just physically, but emotionally.
All I wanted was to go home to see my daughter.
To hold Adele close and let her laughter wash away everything this night had stirred up.
She was my calm after the chaos. My entire world.
“I’m going to cut out early,” I leaned toward Marcus and whispered. “But um, thank you for being my date for the evening. I’ll let you know the conclusions about your proposal by Monday.”
“Right,” he said, his eyes dropping to my chest. “Are you certain you don’t want to come back with me? I’ll make it worth your while, I promise.”
I smiled, though the disgust in my face was evident enough to make Marcus catch himself. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Marcus.”
I left the hall, and by the time I reached the entrance, the valet had already brought my car around. I slid in, started the engine, and drove off, desperate for the quiet. But even the solace of being alone didn’t last.
At a stoplight, I glanced in the rearview mirror and froze.
There was a black Mercedes. The same one I’d caught glimpses of at the last two turns. I leaned forward, giving the car a good look, and that’s when I saw him. Dimitri’s face. Hard. Determined. Relentless.
Shit.
He doesn’t give up, does he?
My hands clenched the steering wheel as I stared at the predetermined destination on the car display. It was the penthouse Adele and I were staying in. I couldn’t let him follow me there. I couldn’t let him see Adele.
So, at a crossroad, I swerved in the opposite direction, driving to Oceania—a popular five-star restaurant in Virginia. Ten minutes later, I pulled over and walked inside.
“Good evening, ma’am,” a waiter greeted at the entrance. “Welcome to Oceania. Would you like a table?”
“Yeah,” I said, glancing over my shoulder just in time to see the black Mercedes pull up to the restaurant driveway. My pulse quickened at the sight of Dimitri climbing out of the car.
“Table for two.”
He led me to a quiet corner table. “Can I start you with something to drink?”
“Your strongest wine. Two glasses.”
If I was going to survive this conversation—this farewell to our tattered, shame-tangled past—I needed something strong to bury those hurtful memories.
The host disappeared just as Dimitri walked in.
His eyes found me immediately. He crossed the restaurant in long strides, ignoring the stares, and sat down across from me.
The proximity was torture. His scent wrapped around me, his presence overwhelming.
Under the table, my hands clenched into fists.
As for my face? I tried to keep it neutral.
But I hoped to God I wasn’t giving more away than I already had at the event.
Dimitri Ravencrest was a thing of the past. Signed and sealed away.
That was what I needed him to see. That was what I needed myself to believe.
He paused, leaning forward slightly. “How have you been? Where have you been all these years?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m fine. I’m doing well. That’s all that matters.”
“Isabella—”
“Estelle,” I corrected. “It’s Estelle now.”
He nodded slowly, his jaw tightening. “I just…there wasn’t a day that passed that I didn’t think about you. I wondered if you were okay, if you were—”
He reached for my arm, but I pulled away before his fingers could make contact.
The waiter arrived with the wine, and I took a long sip, letting the alcohol burn away the unwanted emotions rising in my chest.
“I wish I could say the same, Dimitri.” I met his eyes steadily. “But I am happy and fine. You don’t have to think or worry about me.”
“You can’t tell me to do that.” His voice was strained, almost desperate.
“You have to, Dimitri.” I kept my tone firm, controlled. “Seeing each other could be a way to fall into our old mistakes.”
“Mistakes?” The word came out sharp, wounded.
“Yes. What happened between us five years ago was a mistake. You are my stepbrother.”
“Not by blood.”
“It doesn’t matter. You are my stepbrother. It should never have happened.” I took another sip of wine, using the moment to steady myself. “But since I can’t change the past, I can control what happens from now on. So, I’ll appreciate it if you don’t bother me anymore.“
He fell silent, something like pain flickering across his face.
I checked my watch. It was nearly 8 p.m., and I’d promised Adele I’d be back before 8. I needed to get home to see her before she went to sleep, to hold my daughter and remind myself why I’d survived.
I downed the rest of my wine and set the glass down with a small thud.
“I have to go now. But I really hope you respect my choice.”
Dimitri leaned back slightly, his countenance showing he’d conceded in the way his shoulders slumped, the tension leaving his frame. But in his eyes, there was still a fierce determination, something unresolved and burning.
Still, he said, “If this is what you want, Isabella, I’ll respect it.”
My wolf stirred at the way he said my name, but I shut her down immediately.
I stood, smoothing my dress. “Thank you, and have a good night, Dimitri.”
With that, I walked away, hoping to God I wouldn’t see him again, even if it’s all my wolf wanted at this point.