I stare dumbly up at him. Isaac and his wolf have tried to kill me once already and he somehow thinks we're not going to be somewhat wary of him. Granted, it was before he knew I was his mate, but if I wasn't he would have killed us for certain. He sighs.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Stroking my head with one hand, his body emits a vast quantity of warmth and I unconsciously lean against hia body, relishing the heat against my still damp, cold fur. Our eyes meet and I feel both of us tense and our eyes flick away from each other before it gets too awkward; we may be mates but that doesn't mean that any semblance of social skills have returned to me.

His irises contain multiple yellow flecks that fade and glow intermittently, creating a sharp contrast with the green of his normal eyes, and his tight expression does nothing to hide that his wolf is not happy with not being in control: the wolf inside evidently doesn't like us.

That'll have to change. We aren't safe if he refuses to warm up to us, she warns, growling.

I hope so.

Isaac's heartbeat is frantic in his chest, although I'm unsure if it's caused by our proximity and the effects of the mate bond, or the fact he's running while carrying me.  Sleepiness swamps me and I give in to the sensation, drawing comfort from the safety of his arms. My eyes drift closed and I allow darkness to engulf me.

***

Harsh jolting awakens me, jerking me into consciousness. Alpha Isaac is sprinting towards a large house in the distance, a large pack of werewolves following behind. I glance at my leg to see Jack has done her work and fully healed it, ridding me of any remaining pain.

I shift slightly in his arms and he glances at me and passes me a small smile, breathing too hard to talk. I snuggle up to him, wanting to feel that protective warmth that surrounds him, surprised at the lack of resistance from my wolf.

Jack?

We found mate.

Well?

Well what? What do you want me to say?

Why have you given me control?

You understand people and how to interact with them: I don't.

Yes you do.

No, I only know how to survive and kill, not social niceties.

And? Neither do I!

But you have a better idea than do. I'm a wolf, I am best at communicating through actions rather than words. I don't like it, but you are better suited to cope with this situation than me.

"Iz?"

Alpha Isaac's voice snaps me out of conversation with Jack. I realise my eyes are shut and I open them again. We have arrived at the packhouse, the living quarters of the wolves that are part of this pack, a host of smells bombarding my nose, the noises of civilisation smothering my ears, causing me to flinch from it, the sensory input larger than I'm used to.

He places me on the porch steps and I scramble to my feet immediately, my paws having pins and needles from the cut off blood supply and my ribs aching from the constant jolting. I give him a small growl in annoyance and he scowls at me.

"None of that please." My eyes rove the surrounding area, searching for some sort of trap but also an escape route, and I step away from Isaac, the green fields luring me forwards. "Nope, you're coming with me."

His eyes glow yellow, signalling his wolf has complete control, and he seizes me by the scruff of the neck, making Jack push me away and dominate my mind and body. She starts snapping at his arm, thrashing in his firm grasp in an attempt to make him release us. However, the developing mate bond is too strong and each time she bites at him, her jaws close inches from his skin, instinct preventing her harming him.

It doesn't stop her fighting him all the way to the room he enters, but his grip is unyielding, not flinching away from us even once. He drops her and she snarls at him, growling deep in her throat, absolutely furious. She wants to leap but the mate bond is holding her back, preventing her from finishing him off.

"Give Iz back control. I want to talk to her."

She refuses. His eyes narrow in frustration, releasing a quiet growl, and she flinches, allowing me a chance to regain command of my own body. I cower away from him in fear and his expression softens, his eyes reverting back to their normal green.

"Iz, I'm going to find you some clothes. There's a bathroom attached to this one. Shift in there, and when you're ready I'll pass you some clothes, okay?"

I nod and head through a door in the wall that leads straight to the bathroom. I begin to shift, however, pain racks my body, preventing any cognitive functions, and I collapse onto the tiled floor. I attempt it again but the pain is even worse and I whimper.

Jack, why can't I shift?

You can. It's just been so long it hurts. Come on, you can do it.

I can't, I can't do it. I can't, I can't.

I hear Alpha Isaac's footsteps outside the door. I try again to shift and let out a small whimper in agony.

"Iz?"

My only reply is whine. He pushes open the door a hairs width and peers through. Seeing me struggling on the floor, he enters. He's thankfully, dressed in a casual outfit, so I don't have to worry about where I'm looking.

"Iz, you have to shift. The longer you leave it, the more painful it will be."

I attempt it again and give a whiney scream of agony as my bones simultaneously break and heal.

Alpha Isaac places a hand under my muzzle, not in a controlling or dominating way but in a surprisingly soothing manner.

"Come on Isobel, you can do it. If you can do this it will be so much easier to talk to me, okay?"

I whimper and try to shift, forcing myself to ignore the excruciating sensation swallowing my body. My hands transform along with my legs, then my arms and torso, finally my head too, until I am left in just my birthday suit.

Alpha Isaac has closed his eyes while I shifted and is facing away from me so I touch his shoulder to catch his attention, timid despite the fact he's our mate; he's not going to hurt us. I hope. He twists round at once, his eyes still shut.

"Clothes are outside the door. Are you okay after that?" I nod and then remember he can't see me.

"Yes. I'd forgotten what it was like to walk on two legs again Alpha." His eyes snap open at my voice, staring straight into mine.

"Call me Isaac. You never need to refer to me by my title."

"I'm Isobel. But you already know that." I laugh, uncomfortable with this kind of interaction. Too many years trapped inside Jack's mind annihilated any social skills, skills that were pretty non-existent to begin with.

He exits the room and returns with a pile of clothes, eyes closed again. I take them from him and direct him to the door, still wary of what he has the potential to do to me.

Quickly washing and climbing into my clothes, I struggle to change, my limbs having to remember how to dress after so long. Nevertheless, I manage, and I step out of the bathroom, shy and unsure of what he'll think of me. He may be my mate, yet this doesn't mean he won't judge me.

He's sitting on the bed, his expectant gaze resting on the bathroom door, and when I exit, he gives me a reassuring smile, patting the space on the bed beside him, gesturing for me to sit.

I seat myself beside him, leaving a large chasm between us, scared of him and his strength. He's stronger than my father, he can do more damage. Isaac notices the gap and frowns slightly but does not mention it.

"Tell me about yourself Iz. Hobbies, why you were rogue, when did you become one. Stuff like that."

"I - I, " fear swamps me and my body trembles at the thought of having to talk about my father. Isaac can't find out what Jack did. What my father did was unforgivable; I just have to hope Isaac sees it that way. I couldn't bear it if he rejected me.

"Iz, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want," he says, concerned. I shake my head in answer. "Okay, why have you not shifted for ages?"

"My wolf had control. She stayed as a wolf as it was easier to run and hunt as one."

"What's your wolf's name?" He asks.

"Jack."

"Jack?"

"After the Whitechapel killer."

"Why? What does she think?" He asks, his voice calm but the flash of anger in his eyes at the mention of her violent tendencies warns me to be cautious; we killed several of his wolves yesterday, and he's not over it, not that we can blame him. He must have been friends with them, and pack dynamics means that they must have been like family to him. We can't expect him to forgive us for their deaths so soon.

"She approves. She says she wants her name to be something that should be feared, not laughed at."

"And why?" He prompts, sensing there is something I'm hiding.

His intuition is sharp Iz. Be careful what you say, Jack warns.

I will, I will.

"She is only too willing to kill to survive."

"How do you feel about that?" He asks, his tone patient, despite the fact he's seething underneath.

"I disagree. There was no need to kill every hunter."

Tears prick my eyes at the thought of the first hunters we killed; they were young, barely more than a few years into adulthood, who had their whole lives ahead of them, only a few years older than we were.

And Jack killed them without hesitation.

Isaac brushes a tear into oblivion with his thumb and cradles my cheek. Subconsciously, I lean into it, drawing what little comfort I can from him, and he embraces me, filling the void that once lay between us.

"It's okay Isobel. It wasn't your fault."

No more tears fall and I am left in his arms, clinging onto him. It's strange to be held again, to be held as if I am something - someone - precious, as if I'm not a murderer. There is a knock at the door, jerking both of us apart.

"Come in."

The door inches open as if the person on the other side is scared of what they might see.

"Oh honestly. Matthew, you can come in. We're not doing anything."

The door is abruptly flung wider, slamming against the wall, revealing a male wolf. He's in his human form but Jack's pretty certain it's the smaller wolf I fought earlier: he smells the same. Isaac turns to me.

"Matthew is my Gamma. Matthew, meet Isobel my mate. Isobel meet Matthew."

"Pleasure." He offers his hand and I shake it, hesitant due to Jack's lack of assurance that his intentions are honourable.

We can't trust him yet. He could turn us over to our old pack at any point he wants.

Shut up Jack. Stop being so cynical.

Fine.

"Likewise," I whisper. Matthew is only a few inches taller than me but his slim build makes him appear much taller, his shoulders wider than my own by very little.

"Why are you here Matthew?" Isaac growls, threatening undertones lining his question, and Matthew laughs, shocking Jack.

This one is strange. Who laughs when being threatened?

Good friends.

"Already jealous and overprotective? Good luck talking to anyone other than Isaac, Isobel."

"Shut up." Isaac orders.

"But you wanted to know why I was here, Isaac," Matthew mock whines.

"It's Alpha to you. Now why are you here?"

"Everyone wants to know why you haven't appeared. Everyone thinks you failed and are hiding with your shame as Lucy, Bruce and Graham haven't returned from our 'hunting expedition'."

"Great," Isaac says, sarcastic. "Tell them I'll be down in a minute." I restrain a whine; everything will keep him reminding him of what we did and the mate bond can only do so much to restrain him.

"As you wish Alpha." Matthew nods to me and leaves, carefully closing the door behind him.

The moment he's gone, Isaac sighs, his wrath simmering just beneath the surface: he has not forgotten anything yet.

"What's wrong?"

"I just hate being Alpha sometimes."

"What?! Why?"

"Because I can't allow my personal feelings to get in the way of the pack."

"Why do you say that?"

He sighs and raises his head, looking me in the eye.

"Iz, the punishment for being rogue entering onto our land in this pack is two weeks chained up in prison. With silver. It doesn't matter if it was accidental, on invite or if it was deliberate, you get the punishment the same, no matter who you are or your position. It's to discourage more visits from those with ... less than benevolent motivations."

My body freezes, my mind racing.

"Iz, I'm sorry."

No, he can't.

No.

He's going to lock me up.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh no.

Anyway, did you enjoy the chapter? I know I ask this every chapter as if I'm a clingy author who wants validation. Which I am.

I am just constantly worry if I'm interesting enough and wondering what you guys think. And the only way I'll know is if I ask. So get used to it. 😎
WORxxx

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