Forever Mine

TWENTY SIX

Night time had well and truly fallen by the time Isaac returned to the pack house, his body hunched by guilt. There were gashes in his skin, now beginning to close over, from when he'd torn through thick trees as if they weren't there. He'd ran until his legs had become jelly and the metallic taste of blood filled his tongue. While he'd been out there he'd contemplated never returning. Kayla would take over the Alpha role, a much more level-headed and kinder one than he could ever be. Roxy would be free of any harm. The pressures of being Alpha and keeping his painful past buried so his pack didn't face scrutiny would be no more.

Pure freedom.

Then Roxy had found him.

And temptations of fleeing had evaded.

As he reached the edge of the tree covering, he snuck over to the closest cabin to pinch a pair of jeans off the clothesline. He looked amongst the other cabins, now quiet with the Omegas in their nightly routines. A great wave of self-hatred crashed over him, almost bringing him to his knees. Ever since he'd taken the role of Alpha he'd promised that he wouldn't bring shame upon Moonlight Ridge again, that he would do everything in his power to leave its traumatic past behind. He thought of the pack's frightened faces as he'd battled Tobias, as he'd tossed Roxy aside like she was nothing. He'd done exactly what he'd always fought not to do – to disappoint them.

With a snarl of agitation Isaac marched past the cottages and towards the main house. His eyes drifted upstairs to the balcony which Roxy had gazed down at him from. It felt like a lifetime ago when it was only a little over a month. He thought of her body lying in the grass. The scars on her shoulder. The heat which had blossomed throughout his entire body and sent his wolf into a docile puppy with a simple kiss on the cheek.

I will always wait for you.

Unlike the rest of the house which was dark, the kitchen lights were still on as Isaac approached the back door. Kayla's and Tobias' murmuring voices made him still. What an idiot he'd been, challenging his Beta like that. How had he possibly thought he could run the pack without Tobias alongside him? It wasn't often Isaac apologised but it appeared he was doing a heck of a lot of learning today.

Their heads snapped towards his approaching footsteps from where they sat at the table. The broken balcony above and broken floorboards below was evidence of Isaac's unbridled rage. For a few minutes the three of them stood and sat in the awkward silence, each of them unsure where to look and not daring to utter a word. Kayla was the first to make a move, sending her chair clattering against the floorboards as she rushed towards him. Isaac braced himself for a punch to the face or maybe a slap. What he hadn't expected was for his sister's body to slam into his, wrapping her arms around him.

'I was getting worried about you.' Isaac hesitantly wrapped his arms around her tighter when she began sobbing. 'You've been gone all day! I thought you might've...'

The way she'd trailed off told Isaac exactly what she'd been imagining. 'I wouldn't do that, Kayla. I wouldn't put you through that again.'

'I was so scared.'

Isaac swallowed past a lump of emotion as the siblings remained embraced in each other's arms. Would there ever be a time when the Winters wouldn't fear one of them had killed themselves when the going got tough? Their father had engrained a frightening and abnormal fear in them. At least Isaac had been the one to find him, he would gladly carry such a burden if it meant protecting his little sister.

It'd been a scene from a horror movie; a deep fog had blanketed the floor of the tree covering. The winter season held a deathly iciness in the air. The pack had been searching all night without a sign of their Alpha. Then Isaac had seen the figure against the tree, the silver dagger glistening in the moonlight. The blade was pierced through his heart, the length of it pinning him against the bark of the tree. His head was slumped, blood which had poured from his mouth soaking his shirt and his usually brown skin was chillingly white. Isaac had searched for every possible explanation to explain his father's death. Anything other than admitting he'd committed suicide.