Forever Mine

FORTY THREE

Isaac's truck hummed along the road towards the quarry. Country music played on the radio and he turned it up louder, hoping to be drowned in the singer's sad voice and slow strums of the acoustic guitar. Isaac had felt like a sad country song for the past three days, his life now cloudy and grey once again without Roxy's sunshine to brighten it. No one could deny that he'd been through a lot in his life, that his emotional health had been pushed to the brink time and time again. He'd watched his father murder his mother, raised Kayla whilst learning to run a pack before he was meant to, he'd rejected his beloved in order to protect her and he'd botched the plan entirely. But the past few days had been pure hell.

Ever since he'd arrived back to Moonlight Ridge, he'd made himself busy helping Tobias train the younger wolves, getting on top of administration work for the pack and the quarry, participating in double the patrols he normally did and driving out to the quarry to ensure they were running on schedule for their contracts. Although Kayla and Tobias lived in the big house with him, with Roxy gone it had a cold emptiness to it. He found himself looking into her old bedroom each night where her scent still lingered despite Kayla packing her things and shipping them to Saltwater Woods. Each morning he would bring down a glass from the high cupboard she'd never been able to reach for her to have her morning juice, only to put it back again. Sleep evaded him, which had him out hunting all night and returning at sunrise. Even his wolf didn't take joy in bringing down a large deer. Their victory never tasted sweet. Nothing made him happy anymore but nothing made him sad either. He was totally lost and totally numb.

Isaac approached the closed chainmail gates of the quarry. Below, the machinery which would normally be humming away during the week now sat silent. Only the odd gust of wind moved the grey dirt. An old blue pickup truck was parked in front of the gates, the man he thought he'd never see again leaning against its rusting bonnet. Isaac wasn't sure why he was continuously investigating the rogues. Roxy had left. The deal he'd made with Saltwater Woods had been screwed up and thrown out, their alliance now on shaky ground. He had no reason to keep digging. But he couldn't abandon it. He'd promised to keep Roxy safe, even if she hated him for all eternity. It was his duty, and he was in too deep.

Isaac brought the truck to a steady halt alongside the man. Grey dust swirled and once it settled, he stepped outside.

'I gotta say, I'm getting tired of your quests with no reward.' Isaac looked at the man behind his shades.

The man's blue eyes glowered at him. 'You hurt her.'

Isaac gritted his teeth, throwing his arms out wide. 'The deal was to protect her from whoever is hunting her, I didn't agree to protect her from myself. So come on, let me have it.'

The man eyed him suspiciously.

'Come on, everyone else has, you might as–'

Isaac gave a surprised grunt when a clenched fist rocketed into his jaw, sending him into the fender of his truck. Closing his eyes, he leant against the front tyre, his jeans covered in grey dirt while blood dribbled from his lip.

'Feel better?'

The man shrugged and Isaac spluttered when a boot was rammed into his stomach. The man grinned. 'Now I do.' He extended a hand down to Isaac and heaved him to his feet.

'Is that why you called me out here? Just to beat me up?' Isaac shook his head. 'You know I could kill you in five seconds and I'm just allowing you to do this, right?'

The man chuckled. 'Steady on, hotshot, you don't know a lot about me or what I can do to you. As satisfying as it was doing that, I didn't come out here to throw a few punches. By the way you're moping about like a puppy who got caught chewing the slippers, I assume you're already remorseful. I can't meet you in town again, we've already been there too many times. Besides, I'm on my way out. My leader was becoming suspicious.'