ISABEL

NINE

Dylan pondered over the words he just heard. Did he hear correctly or was his ear playing tricks on him? His mate was in a relationship with another werewolf, not just any werewolf but her beta.

Why does his life have to be this way? Why does everyone he's connected to always make him feel like the second best in everything?

Even his own mate who was well aware of his existence, who was supposed to desire only him found comfort in the arms of another werewolf. Why was he here, then? What is the point of being with someone whose desire won't be for him alone?

Dylan slowly pulled his fingers away from hers. For a moment, he saw the look of hurt on her face, but it vanished almost immediately and was replaced by a straight face.

"Get my car ready." She said to Fernando, who was the only person still present.

"Why didn't you put him in his place?" She asked Dylan as soon as her cousin left their presence. She was referring to Carlos.

"I don't wanna talk about it." A disappointed Dylan replied.

Isabel ran her fingers through her hair to contain her irritation. Dylan wasn't making this mate thing easy for her, and though they haven't been together for twenty four hours, she was beginning to feel worn out. She was trying to be patient with him because he was from another pack, but she doubts if she can keep up with the act.

"If we wanna make this work out between us, we need to communicate with each other." Isabel gestured between them.

"Says the person who has a secret." 

Dylan's reply left Isabel confused. What the hell was he talking about? She thought the bond between them as mates was supposed to make their relationship easier, but she guessed wrong.

"What are you insinuating?" Her voice dropped to a whisper for the first time as she was perplexed by his statement.

"Is there something I need to know that you're not telling me?" Dylan searched her eyes for any sign of guilt or remorse, but found nothing other than confusion.

"It's useless" Dylan let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head in disappointment.

What was he expecting from an alpha? Male or female, they were all the same. This is his fate and he has to accept it no matter how hurt he is.

"Don't keep him waiting." He said in a surprisingly calm voice, turning his back to her and headed for the house.

Isabel watched his retreating figure with pain in her chest.

Was this what having a mate felt like? You feel the person's happiness and sorrow like it's yours.

She didn't want to make a scene, so she decided not to go after him. 'He'll cool off after a couple of hours' she said to herself, but how on earth did he find out about her and Carlos?

Carlos was on his knees in Isabel's office when the door suddenly burst open, revealing a livid Isabel.

"Alpha, I -" he wasn't able to complete his sentence as she slapped him hard across the face. Not once, not twice, but four times.

"How dare you?!" She growled, her eyes completely gold.

"I didn't mean to do it, alpha. I- I was jealous." Carlos confessed with his head low. He was too afraid to meet her eyes.

"Jealous?... I made it clear to you that whatever we had was over, yet you defied me."

"Forgive me, alpha. Forgive me... I've grown very attached to you that it kills me to accept that you've moved on."

"HE'S MY MATE AND YOUR ALPHA !" She yelled, causing Carlos to tremble to his bones.

He crawled towards an angry Isabel, bowing his head against her feet and pleading for mercy. He could tell she was one second away from ending his life. Her wolf wasn't the patient or forgiving one, so it would take a lot of begging to leave her office alive.

Isabel on the other hand felt pity for Carlos. She brought him into this mess which should never have happened in the first place.

       
                               FLASHBACK

Isabel returned from the Greenwood pack with a heavy heart. Her mate was indeed a son of the alpha of the Greenwood pack as predicted by the pack's seer. She only went there to find out whether or not the prediction was accurate, she wasn't expecting her mate to actually feel her presence. She had to leave without him discovering her identity to avoid their first meeting from becoming a disaster. They were rival packs and there's no way they would be together without his parents disapproval.

A knock on her study door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in." She quietly said, helping herself to a glass of tequila. In came Carlos with a wrapped present in his hand.

"Happy birthday, alpha." He said with a smile, carefully placing the present on her desk.

"I'm sorry it's coming late." He apologized as her birthday was actually the day before.

Isabel had totally forgotten about her own birthday because her thoughts were occupied with finding her mate. It was her nineteenth birthday.

"Thanks, Carlos." she replied, placing the present inside her drawer.

Whatever it was it can wait until tomorrow, she thought to herself, returning her attention to the bottle of tequila on her desk.

Carlos turned around to leave, but suddenly changed his mind. He walked up to Isabel and stopped when he was behind her chair. He reached for her shoulder and gave her a massage. He could get this close to her because they were family friends, but he knew the limit of his closeness.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked.

Isabel who was enjoying his massage was soon reminded of her predicament. She can't divulge such information to anyone except her parents. She can't risk people finding out who her mate was. That will only put him in danger since a lot of werewolves who are aware of her new position as alpha are seeking for ways to bring her down. That was partly the reason why she was yet to choose a beta to assist her in running the pack after one year of becoming the alpha.

She gently tapped on Carlos' hand indicating that he should leave, but he didn't. Rather, he held her hand and gently caressed it. She needed a distraction but not this sort of distraction.

Should she send him out or should she give in to the temptation? Thanking him for the birthday present just this once won't be a bad idea, she concluded within herself.