CHAPTER 12
Isabella's POV
The first thing I noticed wasn't the light. It was the sound. Specifically, the most annoying conversation in the history of vocal chords echoing up from the kitchen.
"...should have just died in that forest. Now Aleric is acting like a guilty puppy, hovering over her like she's made of glass. It's honestly insulting to puppies."
Selena. Her voice, usually just a high-pitched headache, now sounded like gravel being ground into my eardrums with a power sander.
I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut. My head felt heavy, my thoughts swirling in a thick fog of disorientation.
Where was I? My eyes opened to the crack ceiling. Right. My room The glorified closet my family let me occupy.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Heavy footsteps started up the stairs. Oh, crap. Mother. If she caught me still in bed, I'd be scrubbing floors with a toothbrush until the next lunar eclipse.
I scrambled out of bed, my feet hitting the floor with a solid thump. I stood up instantly, ready to fly toward the door and pretend I didn't sleep in.
But then I froze. The memories hit me hard The woods. The trap. The bone-deep snap of my ankle that should have made walking impossible.
I looked down, my eyes widening at my bandaged leg. I was standing on it. Full weight. No pain. Not even a twinge. And without crutches.
What in the supernatural hell is happening?
My eyes went to where the crutches were leaning on the wall, moving to the hoodie rest near my bed, a sudden pain to My neck made My hands fly to it.
The moment my fingers brushed against the bandage there, a jolt of electricity shot through my spine.
"Isabella! Get your lazy self in here! Now!" The scream hit the door just as I heard her reach the landing.
I dived for the black hoodie, yanking it over my head and pulling the drawstrings until I was practically mummified.
In this pack, my name was never spoken with love, it was a summons, a barked command for the "wolfless" servant to start the coffee.
I barely had the hood settled before the door swung open with a bang. My mother stood there, her arms crossed, wearing her favorite disgusted expression.
Her eyes went over me, lingering on my leg. My brain finally caught up to the situation, and I quickly leaned against the wall, faking a wobble.
I'm supposed to be crippled. My mother eyes left the leg, not caring to even check if her child is recovering.
"You've been coddled long enough," she snapped, her eyes narrowing. "Aleric might have a soft heart for a charity case, but I don't. The kitchen is a mess, and your father's guests will be here in an hour. Move!"
She turned to leave, but then she paused. Her nose wrinkled. She sniffed the air once, then twice, her eyes flashing a dangerous glow of light she stalked back toward me.
"What is that?" she demanded.
"What's what?" I faked an innocent face. Did she caught up with my lie?
"That scent." She was in my space now, her dominant wolf aura thickening the air, meant to make me cower.
"You smell like... dirt. And something old. Something... dead."
Oh, great. I've gone from 'Wolfless' to 'isabella de Corpse.' Really moving up in the world, Isa.
"Isabella, look at me," she commanded, her hand reaching out to rip the hood from my head.
What the heck, "What have you been doing? Who have you been—"
"Martha! Stop hovering over the girl and get down here! The scouts just signaled the convoy!"
My father's voice boomed from downstairs, cutting through the tension. My mother froze, her fingers inches from my hood.
She gave me long look—a sneer that didn't quite hide the fact that she was genuinely weirded out by my new "perfume."
"Consider yourself lucky your father is impatient," she hissed. " You have an hour to arrange this house before we return. If there is a single speck of dust, or if you dare to show your face and embarrass us with that... reek... you'll wish the trap had finished the job."
She stormed out. I slumped against the wall, thanking my ignorant father for indirectly saving me.
'Weak', a voice whispered.
"Who's there?" My eyes looked back to my room, no shadow in sight but I clearly hear those words and they didn't sound like any of my deranged family member.
It was smooth, dark, and drenched in a level of disdain that made my mother sound like a kindergarten teacher.
'They scream at you because you allow it'. I turned sharply, trying to catch who the fuck is talking but no one still.
"Get it together," I whispered to myself, looking back at my crutches. I picked them up, but only because I needed the 'injured girl' aesthetic.
I had an hour. An hour to clean a three-story house that usually took me a full day. Everyone knew I had been injured but my dear mother didn't care. when giving me the orders.
I needed to act weak despite my body fully healed, I didn't need people asking questions.
I passed the hallway mirror and did a double-take. My skin wasn't pale like a corpse anymore. I actually looked healthy, having more colors to my face than I had for the past seventeen years.
But my eyes...My eyes, the gold was deeper, swirling with a faint, dark crimson ring that definitely wasn't there yesterday.
What's going on? I'm actually getting scared wth how my body is buzzing with all this new and foreign energy.
I took a last look on my self, making a mental note to quickly finish my chose and run to the pack library. I reached the kitchen and looked at the mountain of dishes.
Usually, this sight would make me want to sit down and cry. Now? I reached for a plate, and before I realized it, I was already at the sink.
What the... I moved to grab a towel, and my body literally blurred. It wasn't the clumsy, heavy movement of a human.
I was moving with a grace that would make my sister more venomous. I tried finding the reason for all this but all lead to
The woods. The red eyes. The cold, beautiful monster who had called me an abomination before vanishing.
Was that the reason? The reason for all this unnatural thing that's happening to me. Had my encounter with that monster yesterday awakened them or was it just the mark now taking it's full effect.
Gosh I needed someone to confine in. I needed to see someone who wouldn't try to eat me or insult me.
But everyone in this godforsaken Pack hates me. Not a single one had a sympathy for me.
I looked back to the plates as it reflected my face. Who would help me?
Miss Sabrina? My subconscious my whispered.