Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Two weeks has gone by with no sign of Rodrigo’s illegitimate son or his minions around the Pride pack border. This bothered Isabel a lot because she has never met her adversary face to face, so she couldn’t predict what his next actions would be. The fact that the future looked bleak no matter how hard she tried to deny it, didn’t sit well with her, but she couldn’t tell anyone, not even her father. Showing even the tiniest sign of uncertainty would throw the pack into disarray and she couldn’t risk that happening because of her anxiety. To divert her thoughts from thinking about the worst case scenario, Isabel took up training David. Since he was under her roof for the time being, it would be improper of her to still expect her dad to be the one training him. Strangely enough, David hardly ever complained or made a fuss during training, as he took it as a fun activity, unlike her nephew, Fernando. This made her work easier, and was in fact a good distraction. In the course of training, Isabel developed a special bond with David, which she never had with her younger sister or any other pup. It warmed her heart to be loved by someone else other than her family and mate. Unknown to the young werewolf, he has won a special place in Isabel’s heart.

One night after tucking Teresa in bed, Isabel returned to the master bedroom, and cuddled up against her mate under the duvet. Dylan instinctively wrapped his arms tighter around his mate, cherishing the warmth of her skin.

“Tired?” He asked, as he kissed her lightly on the cheek.

“Not really.” Isabel replied with her eyes closed, preparing herself to fall asleep.

Dylan smiled at his mate’s reply, because she was trying really hard to sound unaffected, but he knew how exhausting it was for Isabel to get her little sister to sleep. She could fight off an entire army and still be full of energy, but when it came down to putting Teresa to bed, she was usually drained of energy, but that didn’t deter her from spending quality time with her sister. If Dylan didn’t think better, he would say his mate was acting strange. Like she was trying to make up for something. He could tell she was worked up about the issue with her half brother, but didn’t want to show it. This worried him because she barely slept at night. She always kept watch at midnight while everyone was asleep and goes back to bed just before dawn. How does he tell her that this could have an adverse effect on her health?

“Don’t worry, babe. You’re gonna kick his ass.” He whispered when he thought she had drifted into a light sleep.

“You think so?” Isabel asked lazily, to his surprise.

Dylan wasn’t surprised that Isabel was still awake, but that she admitted having doubts herself. This was so unlike her. He turned her around so she was facing him and said,

“I know so.”

Isabel heaved a sigh of relief at Dylan’s reply. For some reason, she needed that assurance from her mate even though the battle was hers alone.

“Tell me something.” She requested, snuggling her head onto his chest, to inhale his heavenly scent, as it helps her relax.

“Something like what?... I love you?”

“I know that already… Tell me something no one else knows about. That’s if you have one.” She mumbled against his chest, making him tense.

“So, you do have a secret?” Isabel teased, looking up at her mate, who quickly looked away, to avoid having eye contact with her.

Isabel had no intention of making Dylan feel uncomfortable, she only wanted to hear his charming voice, hoping it would take away her wolf’s uneasiness. What could he be hiding from her?

Dylan on the other hand was stunned by Isabel’s question. Why did she ask that all of a sudden, out of nowhere? He wondered, staring at the clock for no reason in particular. It was only when he looked at the clock that he realized that their birthday was three hours away. He doesn’t want their relationship getting strained once again because of something he did in the past, but at the same time, he wants his mate to know everything about him, even the most embarrassing things.

“Dylan –“

“You’re not my first.” He confessed in one breath.

“What are you talking about?” Isabel sounded unsure, but there was a hint of anger in her voice.

She had every right to be angry after being judged for a long time by him. All those times he got mad at her for not staying faithful to him, he felt guilty for acting righteous, but he couldn’t help it, she kept her lover by her side for God knows how long, while his mistake was only a one time thing, and he was quite young at the time.

“We’ll be starting a new chapter in our lives at the stroke of midnight. And I want it to begin without lies and deceit.” He carefully explained to his mate, so things don’t blow up out of proportion.

“Were you thinking about sharing this with me if I hadn’t asked?” She angrily asked, pushing him away.

“Maybe.” He replied in a timid voice.

“Who was she?”

“It wasn’t serious, babe. I was only fifteen when it happened.”

Isabel scoffed at his reply. Was he really defending a stranger? He threw a tantrum when he found out about her relationship with Carlos, so does he expect her to stay calm about this?

“I hate to repeat myself, Dylan, and you know it."

“I don’t know who she was, okay?... We met at a summer camp some years ago, that’s all I can remember.”

Dylan mentally scolded his big mouth for bringing up something that should’ve been long forgotten. He lied about not knowing the name of the female werewolf he lost his virginity to, knowing who he was mated to. Isabel could go as far as finding Belle, yeah, ‘that was her name’, and may end up hurting her for something that happened a long time ago. Sometimes it’s better to bury one’s secret, he concluded within himself, taking this experience as a lesson. He recalled everything that happened between him and Belle during that summer camp meant for the children of alphas, because just like his mate, she always had his back. At the time, he couldn't be in the same place with his elder brother because they were grouped to be with their peers. And although he was sociable by nature, the other teenagers mocked his pack for being unable to control the activities that took place in the camp as the most powerful pack, since the Pride pack has been absent for years. This made him keep to himself during the summer camp, until one day when he was being taunted by his peers, a girl showed up and leapt to his defense, beating up the other teenagers. She only told him her name and withheld the name of her pack. They became close friends, and with time, they ended up being closer than friends. On the last night of the summer camp, they went deep into the woods, to watch the full moon together, away from the rest of their peers. There, they promised never to forget each other, and to seal their promise, they lost their virginity to each other.

Isabel was mad at her mate for making her believe that she was his first when in reality, she wasn’t. She wanted to know the identity of the female werewolf that was able to tempt her mate without being in heat. It wasn’t like she was going to do anything bad to her since it was already too late for that. She only wanted to be sure that it wasn’t his so called best friend whom she had encountered in his pack some weeks ago. All of her anger subsided the very minute Dylan mentioned the words summer camp, as memories from seven years ago returned in an instant.

She was sixteen years old when her dad first made it known to the council of elders that he was going to make her his successor. She wasn’t supposed to find out about it until a conclusion was reached, but accidentally she overheard when her dad was breaking the news to the elders. They didn’t buy into the idea that a female werewolf would rule over them, and disapproved almost immediately, suggesting that her dad stuck with the tradition of getting her married to the son of his beta or the strongest male werewolf of the Pride pack. This made her sad, because, her dad had promised her so many times during her training that he was going to make her become one of the greatest alphas of the Pride pack. That wasn’t going to be the case in the end. To make matters worse, she overheard Ignacio, her dad’s beta at the time, telling him about a son he had with another female werewolf. In a fit of anger, she ran away from home for two days, and refused going back no matter how much her dad begged her to. She wanted to be as far away from her pack as possible, so she went for the summer camp held for the teenage werewolves of alphas. And although the Pride pack was in charge of hosting it, they haven’t been in attendance for more than three decades, because her dad didn’t want the other packs finding out that his successor was a female werewolf until she was named the alpha. Isabel decided to keep her identity a secret at the camp, out of respect for her dad. That was how she met the cute fifteen year old male werewolf named Dylan, who was having a hard time getting along with his peers. She found it disgusting that the other teenage werewolves bullied him because they perceived him to be soft hearted. So she stood up for him and spent most of her time with him. She was supposed to be with the older teenage werewolves, but she disobeyed the rules. An advantage of being a member of the Pride pack. Her fondness for her new friend grew deeper, and if she didn’t have self control, she was willing to abandon her pack, just to be with him, since the elders of her pack were against her becoming their alpha.

‘I can’t believe I fell for my own mate’ She wondered within herself, deciding that it was best to find out before coming to conclusions.

“A summer camp?-“ Isabel’s curious voice brought Dylan back to reality.

“It meant nothing, okay? I wish I could turn back time, I would erase what happened.” He immediately interjected, interrupting Isabel.

“What happens to your promise, then?”

“Huh?”

What promise was his mate talking about? He never told her about the promise he made to Belle.

“So, you’re saying, you wish you hadn’t met me?” Isabel raised a questioning eyebrow.

“No, no. Not you… I meant her-“ Dylan was trying quite hard to clear the misunderstanding when the actual message behind Isabel’s question suddenly dawned on him.

Belle, Isabel. Belle, Isabel.

“Wait a second. It was you?!” He exclaimed in surprise.

“I-It was stupid of me not to have recognized you.“ She stuttered, suddenly becoming acutely conscious of the situation.

This conversation made Isabel ashamed of her past decisions. Had the werewolf she had given her innocence to seven years ago not been her mate, she would’ve been the worst mate in the history of werewolves.

“It was really you.” Dylan stated after looking carefully at his mate. His voice was filled with emotions, as he never expected to be this favored by the moon goddess.

“I’m sorry.” Isabel said in a quiet voice, as she realized how much her careless behavior has affected their.

“What for?” A confused Dylan asked.

Why was his mate sorry for what should be regarded as a blessing? Does she regret meeting him seven years ago?

“I’ve hurt you so many times.” She admitted her fault this time without waiting for his next reaction.

To think that she was ready to make the female werewolf in question have a taste of hell, had she been his best friend.

“Isabel, I don’t understand you. You should be happy.”

“Happy about what exactly?... Don’t you get it, Dylan? I would have betrayed you twice if it wasn’t you seven years ago.”

She broke down and cried out in anger, not able to control her emotions anymore. He was supposed to be mad at her like the first time. Why isn’t he cussing at her, why?

Why did she end up being the bad guy just like her dad?

“But it was me. And that’s all that matters.”

Dylan engulfed his mate in a tight hug, soothing her with gentle strokes on her back. He hated to see his mate cry, and worse of all, he hated to be the reason for her tears.

“Besides… You would never have been attracted to any other male werewolf if he wasn’t me.” He commented lightheartedly, earning a gentle nudge from his mate.

“C’mon. Let’s go recreate that night.” He whispered seductively in Isabel’s ear, and didn’t wait for her response, as he placed his hands at the back of her thighs and effortlessly lifted her off the ground so she was straddling him before exiting the bedroom.

That night, deep inside the woods, under the full moon, Dylan made love to his mate like they did seven years ago.