Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Isabella’s POV
I couldn't stop replaying it in my mind.
Dimitri's face on that screen. His voice, steady and sure, telling millions of people that I was his Mate. That he loved me. That we were a family.
"I love Isabella Garrett. I love my daughter. They are my family, my priority, and my future."
There was a time when Dimitri and I couldn’t be together.
The words echoed in my head as I moved through the quiet house, checking locks and security panels even though I knew Dimitri's people had already done so three times today. After everything that had happened, I couldn't quite shake the need to verify our safety myself.
The hallway was dimly lit, most of the lights set to night mode. Adele had been asleep for over an hour now, finally resting peacefully after another day of slow recovery.
I paused outside her door, my hand on the handle, just planning to peek in one more time.
But something stopped me.
A feeling. An awareness that prickled along my spine like ice water.
Something was wrong.
The air felt different. Heavier. There was a faint, unplaceable scent that made my wolf stir uneasily inside me.
I pushed the door open slowly, quietly.
The room was dark except for the soft glow of Adele's nightlight—a little dragon that cast gentle shadows. Her small form was curled under the blankets, her stuffed dragon clutched tight.
And standing beside her bed, illuminated by that soft dragon light, was Selene.
She held a knife. The blade caught the light, gleaming silver and deadly.
My heart stopped. Then hammered against my ribs so hard I could hear it in my ears.
"Hello, Isabella." Selene's voice was soft, almost conversational, as if we'd run into each other at a coffee shop. "I was wondering when you'd check on her. You always were such an attentive mother."
I forced calm, forced myself to think. "How did you get past security?"
She laughed, the sound brittle and slightly unhinged. "Bleach. Such a simple solution, really. Masks scent perfectly. Your guards didn't even notice me walk right past them." She gestured at herself with her free hand. "I've been here almost ten minutes. Just watching her sleep. Waiting."
The knife moved closer to Adele's sleeping form.
"Don't." The word came out low, dangerous. "Don't you dare touch her."
"Or what?" Selene's eyes were wild in the dim light. "You'll call for help? They won't get here in time. You'll try to fight me? I'm faster, stronger. I have Alpha blood running through my veins."
"Why are you doing this?" I took a slow step into the room. "You've lost everything. Your marriage, your position, your pack, your money. What more is there to gain?"
"Satisfaction." The word dripped venom. "You took everything from me, Isabella. My future, my life. You waltzed back into Virginia and destroyed everything I was building, everything I'd built."
"You destroyed yourself," I countered, taking another careful step closer. "You and Ethan. Your conspiracy, your schemes—"
"Schemes that would have worked if not for you and your bastard child!" Selene's voice rose, then she caught herself, glancing down at Adele. "This little mistake ruined everything. Gave Dimitri a reason to care about something other than duty. Made him weak."
"She's a four-year-old child," I cried out, the injustice burning like acid. How could anyone harbor such hatred for an innocent?
"She's a threat. And threats must be eliminated." Selene raised the knife higher. "I came to finish what the assassin failed to do."
Something in me shattered.
The instinct to protect my pup surged forth, a tidal wave overwhelming all rational thought. The urge to shift burned under my skin, no longer a slow build but a sudden, violent eruption.
My bones broke and reformed in agonizing succession, muscle fibers tearing and re-knitting. Fur pierced my skin, my senses expanding exponentially. Selene gasped, her own wolf struggling to the surface, but my shift was faster—fueled by pure, undiluted maternal rage.
When I launched myself at her, I was no longer a woman, but a massive, silver-gray wolf, a guttural snarl ripping from my throat.
Selene shifted almost simultaneously. A slightly smaller, golden-brown wolf with madness burning in her eyes met my charge.
We collided with brutal force, claws slashing, fangs clashing with a sickening crunch. We tumbled across the floor, crashing into the nightstand. The dragon lamp flew, shattering against the wall and plunging the room into near darkness, save for the moonlight filtering through the window.
Adele woke with a terrified scream.
"Mommy!"
That cry pierced me deeper than any fang. It gave me strength.
Selene's teeth sank deep into my shoulder blade, white-hot pain blinding me momentarily.
But I didn't retreat. I kicked out hard with my hind legs into her abdomen, forcing her to release her grip, then rolled, pinning her beneath me.
My forepaws held her down, my fangs inches from her vulnerable throat.
Stay away from my daughter! I poured the thought into the mental void between us, a lethal intent clear even without words.
Selene thrashed wildly, her hind claws raking my flank. She bucked with all her strength, throwing me off. Instead of pressing her attack on me, she turned toward Adele, who was frozen, sobbing in the corner.
The golden-brown wolf became a terrifying silhouette against the moonlight, her maw gaping wide as she lunged for my child.
Time froze.
No.
A power I never knew I possessed erupted from my core. I propelled myself forward, not to fight, but to intercept.
A split second before Selene's teeth could find their mark, I slammed into her with the full force of my body.
We crashed through the bedroom doorway together, tumbling into the hall. Snarls, impacts, and the splintering of wood filled the house. Selene scratched and bit wildly beneath me, every strike meant to kill. My only thought was to subdue her, to keep her away from my child.
We wrestled toward the top of the stairs. Selene found an opening, rearing up on her hind legs to bring her powerful forepaws down on my skull. I dodged instinctively, her claws grazing my ear with a searing pain.
In that moment of imbalance as her blow met empty air, I saw my chance. Not to kill, but to end the threat.
I drove forward with all my remaining strength.
The impact sent her stumbling backward. Her hind paws missed the top step. A flicker of stunned horror crossed her golden wolf eyes. She scrabbled for purchase, finding only air.
I stood there, panting heavily, watching her twisted form tumble down the staircase, a series of sickening crunches echoing in the sudden silence, until she lay motionless at the bottom, her neck twisted unnaturally.
The shift receded like a tide, leaving behind a body wracked with pain, covered in deep scratches and bite marks, and a fatigue that reached my soul. I stood there, naked and trembling, leaning against the shattered doorframe.
Security guards—Dimitri's men—burst onto the scene, surrounding Selene's body. One checked for a pulse, then looked up at me and shook his head.
Dead. Selene was dead.
I had killed her.
But Adele was safe. The thought was my only anchor. My child was safe.
Ignoring the pain and the chaos, I stumbled back into the bedroom. Adele still huddled in the corner, whimpering. I knelt, disregarding my own nakedness and bleeding wounds, and gathered her into my arms, holding her tight.
"It's over, baby," I whispered, my voice hoarse from snarling but as gentle as I could make it. "Mommy's here. It's over. That monster can't hurt you ever again."
Her small hands clutched at me, as if I were the only solid thing in a raging sea. I held her, feeling the warmth and the steady beat of her heart against my chest, knowing with absolute certainty that every brutal, savage thing I had just done was worth it.
For this, I would become a monster.
For this, I would burn the world.