Forever Mine

FORTY FIVE

Isaac stood in Trent and Cleo's house at Saltwater Woods, his mind calculating whilst his eyes stared out at the forest meeting the coastline through the large windows. Trent, Tobias, Olivia, Iris and Steven were talking with each other in serious tones around the kitchen table behind him. Kayla was in the kitchen, the smell of freshly baked goods wafting around the house. She always baked when she was stressed. Normally Isaac's belly would rumble with anticipation at what she was making but his appetite was non-existent. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he ate. The Alpha meeting, most likely. That was before his life had hit the fan and splattered shit across the ceiling.

Roxy had been gone for twelve hours and they were still sitting around flicking through books, trying to find some sort of clue as to where the sisters could be. They knew that there captors weren't what the werewolf community deemed as rogues for so many years, but illegal hybrids thought to have been extinct for centuries. Abaddon had done well to keep his race hidden, using being extinct to his benefit. They hadn't found a single clue. The wolf inside him was more than antsy and Isaac himself was growing impatient. It felt idiotic to be sitting around when they could be out hunting down the rogues' putrid arses. But common sense told him it would be more practical to try and gather any information they could to find a target, rather than wasting time and energy running about aimlessly. Although he would much rather be moving closer to her rather than looking through stupid books.

Isaac pressed a hand against the window, watching the waves crash to the shore in the distance. A second hadn't gone by in which he hadn't worried for her. With every minute that ticked by, the chances of the sisters being found precariously hung in the balance. It was time for the blood wolves to escape, or prepare for their arrival.

Needing some fresh air, Isaac shot up to his feet and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him so hard it ricocheted throughout the house. The Omegas of Saltwater Woods gave him sympathetic nods in greeting as he made a beeline to the smell of the ocean. His wolf led him through the beech tree forest, following his nose to the sea. Isaac walked out onto a stony cliff. The waves roared up against it, its white foam reaching up and trying to snatch him down to the deep blue. Isaac looked down at the big drop, the wind whipping his shirt and hair about wildly. A spray of mist stuck to his skin. Would it be easier to jump, to let his body be sucked down and thrashed against the rocks?

A lump formed in his throat and no matter how much he tried, one heavy tear rolled after the one before. The emotions he'd kept locked away since Roxy's kidnapping flowed free, well and truly breaking their banks. He let go of a ferocious growl, one laced with pain and torture as it travelled across the glistening blue. This was his punishment for taking advantage of her. This is what he got for not being grateful for the Moon Goddess' gift. He'd been ready to fight for her, to try with everything he had to win her back but the chance had been viciously snatched away. He looked up to the clear blue sky, his eyes watering against the brightness of the sun where the moon hid behind.

'You're an ice-cold bitch, you know that!' Isaac screamed to the sky, his clenched fists at his sides.

Isaac allowed his head to drop back down, pressing the heels of his hands into his eye sockets until stars danced in his vision. Where had they taken her? Was she hidden away close by, right under their noses? Or had they'd fled interstate, or even overseas? Rage made him find a small rock and fling it into the ocean, it landing with a splash miles away. It was uncharacteristic for him to take a backseat and let fate take the wheel, now though he couldn't even take the wheel of control even if he wanted to.

Isaac closed his eyes, imagining his parents' spirits rolling from the ranges of Mountainous Region to where he stood on the coast. 'Please, Mum and Dad, I need you to help me.'

The sound of cautious footsteps approaching behind him made Isaac jump, and rubbing his face roughly, he whipped around to see Trent looking as shit as himself with paled skin and heavy eyes. The Saltwater Woods' Alpha stood alongside him, anchoring himself against the billowing wind. Trent hadn't just lost his soulmate, but his unborn baby too.

There was the option of alerting the other Alphas to commence a hunt, but that would mean the elders would find out and with them came politics. Instead of going in for the kill, they'd be made to sit and wait while stupid plans were discussed to avoid collateral damage. To avoid them being exposed to the human world. Isaac didn't care about damages. He wanted Roxy, and Cleo, safe. No matter the cost. Fuck the consequences.

'I keep hoping I'm going to wake up and it's all a fucked-up nightmare,' said Trent quietly. A strong breeze tussled his askew hair.

Isaac stayed quiet, swallowing roughly, before finding the strength to speak. 'Before I met Roxy and my parents died, my life was pretty good. I lived a life of luxury being the future heir of Moonlight Ridge. The thing is though, I didn't know just how much better it could be after Roxy came into it. I just... I didn't realise it in time.'

'You don't know what you've got until it's gone,' murmured Trent quietly.

'Something like that,' said Isaac bitterly. He glanced over to him. 'You seem to be holding up a hell of a lot better than I am.'

Trent scoffed. 'Glad I'm fooling someone.' He looked to the ground below. 'I should've been happier about the baby. Cleo was so excited when she told me but I didn't want to believe it. It's like I knew something like this would happen, like I was protecting myself. I should've been happier. Now I might lose them both.'

'We'll find them,' said Isaac determinedly. 'Today, tomorrow or next year. We're gonna catch the bastards.'

Trent nodded numbly before a small smile filled his face. 'You want kids? Heirs to Moonlight Ridge?'

Isaac felt a heat rise up his neck and he gave a loud scoff. 'I need a soulmate who's alive and preferably doesn't hate me for all eternity first. Maybe once I get that under control, I'll consider it.'

Trent placed a hand on his shoulder. 'I've known Roxy her entire life.' He shook his head, wonderment dancing in his eyes. 'She's always had this... light inside of her. Even after everything those girls have been through, Roxy always had a smile on her face. She thinks Cleo only got through things because she was strong, but Cleo would always tell me she got her strength from Roxy. She's strong and determined as hell, Isaac. Wherever they are, she'll be the one looking after them both. And I know for a fact that she could never hate you, not for eternity anyway.' He sighed weightily. 'I'm sorry for what I did and said to you at the Alpha meeting, that you didn't have Roxy's best interests at heart. Even if you show it in a really, really bizarre way I know you love her and she loves you – unconditionally.'

Isaac swallowed and nodded. 'I just hope I get the chance to prove that to her.'