Chapter 18
Derek has made me cry plenty of times, but never like this.
As I drive farther away from the woods, my body feels more and more like a corn husk.
Why did I leave him? He told me to go, said he wouldn’t come back, but I should have called him out on his shit—stayed in the cabin until I was on the brink of starvation.
He wouldn’t let me die. He’d see my way eventually.
As I turn down my street, I’m seconds away from making a U-turn, until I see the cop car in my driveway. I’m scared shitless, but curiosity gets the best of me. I have to figure out what happened to Lewis. I won’t know our fate until I discover the gravity of his actions.
My hands shake as I get out of the car and step inside.
This is stupid. Why am I coming home? I flicked Lewis off before stepping over his mauled body.
I’m definitely going to jail. But perhaps I want to stick up for Derek.
He told me to blame the attack on him, but I’ve spent enough of my life letting him take punishment, even if it didn’t belong to him.
I doubt they’d believe I’m the one who attacked my ex.
My brain does somersaults, trying to think of a believable explanation for how I could have caused the damage.
“Isabella?” My mom’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
Her eyes are puffy, and she stands between two uniformed officers.
She rushes forward, wrapping me in her arms. “I was so worried about you.” She pulls back, examining me.
I can’t miss the disgust that flicks into her eyes.
Good. For a second, I almost believed she was concerned for my safety.
I push her away. “What’s going on?” I’m no idiot. I need to know what they know before admitting to a crime.
“Do you know where your stepbrother is, ma'am?” An officer in his mid-forties with a thick mustache asks, coming up from behind my mother.
“No, I don’t.” Technically, it’s the truth. “Why?”
“Do you know what happened to your boyfriend Lewis?”
“Ex-boyfriend.”
“Isabella!”
Yeah, it’s not the right time to clarify, but I can’t stomach anyone thinking I’m still occupying space in my heart for that man.
“Is he okay?” I ask.
The other cop, a younger man with a clean-shaven face, steps next to the first officer. “He’s traumatized, and I’ll admit his story doesn’t make complete sense. He’s going to be fine, though, but not without some permanent facial scarring.”
Yes. Props to me. I keep this exciting thought inside.
“We think your stepbrother attacked him.”
I cross my arms. “Derek, wouldn’t do that.”
The cops eye me suspiciously. “Lewis said that Derek turned into a beast and ripped him to shreds. He called 911, barely conscious. We found him bloodied in your room with injuries that look like they came from an animal attack.”
I wonder if my presence was mentioned in his revelation. “He’s clearly confused,” I counter. The cops aren’t going to believe that Derek is a bear, but they could think he used a dog to attack him, or other means.
Mom jumps into action, pulling me into her arms again and shouting into my hair. “I told them you would have nothing to do with this and that you were spending the weekend with Chrishell because you were having such a hard time living so close to Derek.”
Clearly, Mom’s lying for me. Of course, she wouldn’t want more negative attention, but I can’t help but wonder if she knows the truth.
She lets go of me and turns to the men. “Officers, thanks so much for stopping by, but my daughter is clearly in shock. Lewis told you Derek was the only person involved in his attack. If we find him, we’ll be sure to let you all know, but if you would please just give my daughter some time to process what’s going on?
” I guess that answers my question. Lewis is covering for me, or doesn’t remember my presence.
I’m not certain why, but it’s likely for selfish reasons, perhaps hoping I’ll take him back. He’s an idiot.
The cops don’t move. I cross my arms over my chest and stare them down, not doing a great job of acting like the grieving girlfriend.
I planned to take the blame for the attack, and I’m still working out how to do that, but it doesn’t seem possible with both Lewis and Mom lying for me.
The best I can do is find a way to clear Derek’s name and get the hell out of here.
“Alright, ma’am. We’ll leave you be for now, but remember, if you know anything about where he might be, call us right away.”
“Of course, officers.” Mom walks them to the door, waving as they pull out of the driveway.
She turns to me, her mask gone. She rolls her shoulder back and bends her neck from side to side. “Don’t worry, this will all be handled.” She walks past me and into the kitchen.
“What do you mean by handled?”
She holds herself up on the marble countertop and finally looks at me. “Do you know?”
“Know what?”
“What Derek is?”
“Do you know?” I ask.
“Of course, I do. I’m his mother.”
Her statement makes me want to vomit. “You are not his mother.”
She rolls her eyes. “Maybe not, but I’m married to his father. I’ve spent years protecting you from him.”
I scoff. “Protecting me from him? How exactly did you protect me from him?”
“Your father and I sent him away, so you would be safe.”
“So I would be safe? Or your reputation?”
“Two things can be true.”
Neither of us has told the truth, still tiptoeing around what we both know. There’s no point in covering for him anymore, though. It can’t get any worse. “So you sent him away just because he was a bear, because he was different?”
“Just because he was a bear? Isabella, he’s a violent animal! He attacked your boyfriend!”
“Lewis is not my boyfriend, and Derek is not a violent animal.”
She steps toward me, examining. “What has gotten into you? You hate Derek.”
“Not anymore.”
Her eyes widen. “Isabella, please don’t tell me you’re a part of all of this.”
“Did you know I was his mate?”
“What?! What are you talking about? Isabella, he’s your brother!”
I’m guessing the bear bit is as far as she knows, because her face reads genuine horror. She’s always been a good actress, but there’s no point in lying to each other now. “He’s not my brother.”
She grabs my arm, her fingers pushing into my skin. “Is there something going on between you two?”
I pull back from her grasp and cross my arms. “Yes.”
She shakes her head, stepping back. “Isabella, no.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes flick over me. “What did he do to you?”
“Nothing! God, I love him, Mom.” I’ve never said this out loud, not even to myself, but as the words come out, they feel right. I’m not a bear-shifter, but the tether between us is tight enough for me to recognize.
“You love him like a brother.”
I shake my head. “You know that’s not true.”
She pulls at her hair. “No.”
“Yes!” I turn toward the front door, ready to go back to the hunting shack and tell Derek how I feel, to tell him we’re running away together, but Mom grabs my arm and swings me around.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“To Derek.”
She smirks. I’ve never liked my mom. Maybe I’ve hated her if I admit the truth to myself, but right now, her eyes look more villainous than ever before. “Your stepfather will beat you there.”
“He doesn’t know where he is.” I say it mostly to convince myself.
She laughs and crosses her arms over her chest. “You think he doesn’t know about his secret shack in the woods? Darrell always kept a watchful eye on his son. I never let him go as far as he wanted with his punishments, but it seems that it’s time I let him do what needs to be done.”
My blood turns cold. “What are you talking about?”
She shrugs, turning and pouring herself a glass of wine, resting on the kitchen counter. “Derek won’t be a problem for us anymore, for any of us.”
She’s being cryptic, but from her icy demeanor to the knowing dread slowly suffocating me, I know what she’s implying. I could spend more time questioning, but I can’t stand in this house another second. I charge toward the door, urgency pushing me forward.
“You’re wasting your time.”
Before I spring into the car, I address her, for one last time.
“Mom, fuck you, and I hope everyone finds out your daughter is fucking her stepbrother and I hope it completely ruins your career.” I slam the door in her face, not without missing her completely mortified gasp. I’ve never been more proud of myself.