Chapter Thirty Four
THANE
I stood before the tiny cottage that had once belonged to Bella. I didn’t know exactly why I was here, yet here I was.
The little cottage, which had been abandoned, was barely holding together; termites had infested the woods, cobwebs filled every corner. I walked into the house.
Dust layered over every piece of furniture and dried leaves littered the floor, this place which had once been full of life, was empty and lifeless. Not much furniture survived the years.
There was a sound from the inner room, and I headed there. The squirrel ran past me; that must have been the source of the noise.
I stared at the couch- rather, what remained of it, that had been the very couch Bella had died on. I remember the pain I had felt waking up to see her lifeless body; at first I had been in denial; it couldn’t possibly happen- I’d thought to myself, but then the pain set in, Bella had become a part of me and a part of my life, with her gone I’d felt oddly incomplete.
I picked up the frame from the ground; I wiped off the dust with the sleeve of my jacket, and there she was in the picture, the girl I had remembered. I placed the picture back on the table before walking out of the cottage.
I strode to the back of the building, the very spot I had buried Bella.
The grave had been dug open.
I returned back to the pack, and of course Isabella had to be the first person I sighted, she conversed with one of my soldiers. I could easily read him. His eyes roamed over her, filled with lust and he wasn’t doing a good job hiding it. He literally devoured her with his gaze, and I made a turn, heading towards them.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I asked him, and he nodded; fear replaced the lust in his eyes, and he scurried away like I was going to rip his heart out if he didn’t.
“You don’t get to do that,” she hissed at me, clearly annoyed. Of course I didn’t have to protect her, but I did anyway.
“He was staring at you like you were some piece of cake he couldn’t wait to devour.”
1/2
Chaplet That Fue
+25 BONUS
“So you are going to play the protective mate now, are you?”
Her words seem to snap me back to my senses. “I was just looking out for you.”
“Why? You made it clear that you
“I don’t.”
didn’t care.”
“You keep denying it, Thane. When will you open your eyes and see it? You are still in love with me.”
“I am not in love with you, but I care for you. Yes, I admit it; I do care, but that’s not love.”
She nodded. “All you need is some time.”
I held her by the arm. “No, it will never happen.”
“I don’t believe you.” She struggled against my grip, and I let her go; she walked away without another word.
Riley was seated on the bed when I walked in.
Only when I was close enough did I hear her silent sob.
My eyes trailed down her body to make sure there were no injuries. I didn’t spot any except the pinkish mark on her neck; it seemed to be an injury already healing.
“Are you alright?” I asked her, and she shook her head.
“No, I am not.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked; damn, all I needed was a name, and I would be out there sending whoever caused her to cry to their deaths.
“You were right about Daemon,” she said to me. “He can’t be saved,”
“What did he do?”
“He showed me his true self, and gods, I hated it.”
