Jackson gathered two plates, utensils, and two beers and brought them to the table. They sat and each opened the Styrofoam containers, emptying the contents on their plate. They ate silently, watching each other warily. Jackson resisted his wolf’s impulse to feed its mate.
“What’s your name?” he asked suddenly.
Izzy swallowed before answering, “Isabella. Everyone calls me ‘Izzy’.”
“Isabella...Izzy....hmmm.” Jackson thought for a moment then replied, “I prefer Bella.”
Izzy clamped her mouth shut and clenched her jaw. The only person who had ever called her ‘Bella’ was her late mother.
“Tell me, Bella, how did you get the scars on your face?”
Jackson barely managed to keep his voice neutral but his fingers curled against his palms. Jackson’s wolf was incensed that another wolf had harmed his mate, had scarred her pretty face. Izzy took a swig of her beer and met his eyes.
With a nonchalant shrug, she replied, “All in the line of duty.”
“Duty? What duty?”
“I’m a Soldier, same as you.”
“A Soldier? You? Ah ha HA HA HA.”
He laughed at Izzy and her brown eyes glowed angrily as her wolf rose to the surface. She slammed her beer bottle down and stood quickly.
“I worked damn hard to become a Soldier, much harder than you ever had to. You think just because you’re a male, you’re a better Soldier than me? Please! I could kick your sorry ass any day of the week.”
She glared at him with pure disgust and he stopped laughing.
“You’re challenging me?”
His chair slid backward as he stood quickly. Leaning over the table, laying his palms flat on the table so his face was inches from hers, he pointed out, “You’re tiny compared to me. I’d crush you in a heartbeat.”
“Your brother was an Alpha, much bigger and much stronger than you. He thought he could take me and I’m still here.”
He jerked back in surprise and she turned and walked away.
Izzy went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, locking it. She was livid.
Typical male, she thought. He discounted me because of my sex. Arrogant males always think they are better than me. They always assumed they were faster, stronger. She smiled. Let them think what they want. Their underestimation of me always leads to their downfall.
Izzy turned on the shower then undressed. She stepped into the shower and stood for a full minute under the hot water, allowing the heat to soothe her aching muscles. She washed her face and traced the four long scars that ran along the left side of her face, along her cheek. She closed her eyes against the memory that returned.
Fifteen years ago....
“But father, I want to train as a Soldier. Just give me a chance—”
Her father interrupted her plea.
“A Soldier? Don’t be ridiculous! You’re a female. Your only purpose is to mate with an alpha to increase my wealth and power.”
Izzy’s mouth had dropped open as she stared at her father.
“Three Alphas are coming tomorrow. Tomorrow night they will bid on you and the highest bidder will take you as his mate.”
“But—but I’m only sixteen!” Izzy protested.
“Yes, you are. They are willing to pay a higher price for a virgin.”
Izzy shook her head, disbelieving her ears. Her own father was willing to sell her for money and power. He was already the wealthiest and most powerful Alpha in the state. She didn’t understand his greed.
“Grayson, the Alpha of the Virilis Wer Pack is especially interested in you. I’m sure he will outbid the others.”
Orin virtually drooled at the thought of how much money he would earn on the sale of his daughter’s virginity.
“Gr-Grayson?”
Izzy shuddered as she remembered the way Grayson had fixated on her when he visited their Pack last month. He was in his late twenties and had the hardened appearance of a warrior. He had barely said two words to her, but the intense way he studied her was unnerving. Now she realized he had been assessing her, as one would a horse before buying it. That realization left her feeling nauseous. The previous month, another Alpha had visited their Pack. He too had stared at Izzy with lustful eyes. Disgusted with her father and men in general, Izzy turned and ran to her room.
If mother was alive, she would never allow this to happen.
Sixteen year-old Izzy paced her room, thinking of a way out of her predicament. She realized that her father couldn’t force her to mate with an alpha if she wasn’t there. She picked out an outfit, wrapped it carefully, tying it with a piece of string and opened the window. She dropped the small package outside her window then stripped and shifted into her wolf. Izzy-wolf leaped out of her window and picked up the small package in her teeth and ran as fast and as hard as she could. She had to get away from her father and her Pack.
Izzy-wolf ran for several hours, running in streams when she could to throw off her scent. If she were fortunate, they wouldn’t discover she was missing until morning. Then her father’s Soldiers would be out hunting her.
By midmorning, Izzy-wolf was in unfamiliar territory. She trotted carefully through the forest and froze when she heard a low warning growl. Heart racing, she turned around slowly, finding a large white wolf standing a few feet behind her. Recognizing the scent of an alpha, she whimpered and lowered her head submissively. The large white wolf trotted over to her and sniffed her.
He shifted into a man and demanded, “What are you doing in my territory?”
Izzy shifted and he frowned at her.
“You’re nothing but a child!”
He glanced around, searching for other wolves.
“I—I ran away from home. My father...he was planning on selling me to an Alpha....Please don’t make me go back there. I’d rather you kill me now than send me back to my Pack.”
Nineteen year-old Aleksandr, future Alpha of the Hoyden Wolf Pack frowned at the young woman on the ground before him.
“My father is still Alpha of our Pack. He will decide your fate. Shift and follow me.”
Izzy, grateful that he hadn’t killed her outright, shifted and hoped his father would be merciful. She had met Byron, Aleksandr’s father, and once he heard her story, quickly agreed that no sixteen year-old should be sold and forced to mate with an Alpha. Byron agreed to accept Izzy into his pack once Aleksandr assured him he would fight to protect her from her father’s Pack.
The next few months, Izzy stayed close to Aleksandr, watching him as he trained daily. At night she would sneak off and practice everything she had seen that day. One night, Aleksandr caught her practicing and she quietly admitted that she wanted to be a Soldier. She hung her head, waiting for him to laugh at her.
“Why?” Izzy raised her head, perplexed.
“Why do you want to be a Soldier?” Aleksandr inquired.
“When I was eight—.” Izzy took a deep breath before continuing, “When I was eight, I saw a Rogue wolf attack my mother. He raped and killed her. I saw the whole thing...I was powerless to stop him and I never want to feel that way again.”
“Just because you want to learn how to defend yourself doesn’t mean you have to train to be a Soldier.”
“I realize that females aren’t allowed to become Soldiers—”
“Says who?” Aleksandr demanded. “If you want to train to be a Soldier, I will help you. Training won’t be easy and I won’t treat you any differently because you’re a female. Think you can handle it?”
Izzy’s eyes glowed brightly with hope.
“Seriously? You’ll teach me?”
Aleksandr nodded.
“We begin tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep. You’ll need it.”
The first day, Aleksandr had been brutal. Izzy discovered muscles she never knew existed. Sore and limping, she barely made it to her cabin, but Izzy had gone to bed with a smile on her face. Aleksandr had treated her as he would any Soldier in training.
One day, Izzy had been called to the Alpha house. She met Aleksandr outside of the Alpha House and noted the grim look on his face. Before she could ask, he commanded, “Let’s go, Izzy.”
Frowning, she followed him into the Alpha house and stopped in the living room. Her heart stopped beating as she stared her father, Orin of the Epicene Wolf Pack.
“You insolent child! Do you know how much you have cost me? You made a fool of me in front of my Pack and among three other Alphas. I will not punish you lightly.”
He snarled at her and Izzy’s heart raced. Aleksandr scented her fear and stepped in front of her.
“She is part of our Pack now. You have no claim on her,” Aleksandr said.
Her father snorted.
“Are you fucking my daughter?”
Wanting to agitate him, Aleksandr smiled before replying, “She’s eighteen now. It’s no concern of yours who she fucks.”
Izzy’s eyes widened at Aleksandr’s response. Hidden behind him, her father couldn’t see her response. Her father growled loudly.
“She is my daughter. My only one. She must return to my Pack so I can mate her to another Alpha. Unless you want to mate with her?” he asked Aleksandr. Aleksandr shook his head.
“Izzy stays. She’s going to be one of my Soldiers.”
“Soldier? Izzy?”
Her father laughed. The louder and longer he laughed, the angrier Izzy became. She stepped next to Aleksandr, glaring at her father.
“I’ve been training and I’m a good Soldier, Father.”
“Does he tell you that before or after he fucks you?” her father asked with a jeer.
Izzy’s face heated with embarrassment. Only her father would minimize her accomplishment by assuming she had earned that title on her back.
Izzy’s father stepped closer to her.
“You want to be a Soldier? Then you should look like one.”
He swung his arm and his sharpened claws slashed her face, leaving her with four long cuts across her face. She yelped in pain, covering her face to stem the blood flow.
Aleksandr growled and extended his sharp claws, ready to attack Orin, but Byron intervened.
“Aleksandr!” Byron cautioned.
Aleksandr snarled, his rage threatening to overtake him, but he stayed still.
“Orin, you are a poor excuse for a father and an Alpha. The next time you put your hands on one of my wolves, you will not live long enough to regret it.”
“Let’s see how long he keeps you as a ‘Soldier’ now that you’re no longer pretty. Once you’ve come to your senses, you may return to me. After I have publicly humiliated you, then I will sell you to the highest bidder.”
Orin turned and walked out of the Alpha house. Aleksandr quelled his anger and retracted his claws. He turned to Izzy.
“I’m surprised you didn’t run away from him sooner. Come, I’ll tend to your face.”
Izzy pushed the memories away and shut off the water. She stepped out of the shower stall and pulled the spare towel off the bar. After drying herself, she wrapped the towel around her body, tucking the end between her breasts. She removed the soggy bandages then rewrapped her wrists. Izzy tumbled through the vanity and found a spare toothbrush. She brushed her teeth then left the bathroom in search of some clothing.
Jackson was again pacing, this time he was pacing from the kitchen table to his bed and back again. He stopped pacing when Izzy opened the door and turned to face her. He noted the bruises on her arms and pursed his lips.
“Who did that to you?” Izzy glanced at her arms.
“That’s nothing compared to—”
“—What? Compared to what?” he asked. She shrugged.
“Let me see,” he demanded as he moved closer.
Standing in front of her, he took one end of the towel and tugged. He held the other end, pulling it away from her body, unwrapping her. He noted the old scars on her body and growled at the deep purplish bruise on her stomach.
“Turn around,” he ordered.
Sighing, she turned, showing him the nasty bruise above her left kidney.
“Who did this to you?” he demanded again. Izzy remained silent.
“Tell me, damn it!”
Izzy turned around and pulled the towel away from him, wrapping it around herself.
“Your manly Soldiers did. After they used chloroform to knock me out, they tied me up and tossed me into the trunk of their car. At some point, they stopped to check on me, or perhaps they planned on having a little ‘fun’ with me. I kicked one in the chest and escaped. They tackled me and punched me in the kidney before putting me back into the trunk. When we got here, they punched me in the stomach. I guess your kind only attack women when they are bound and outnumbered. Such manly men,” she responded sarcastically.
Izzy marched to the chest of drawers and opened it, searching for some clothes to wear. She pulled on a pair of Jackson’s boxers then removed her towel to slip on one of his shirts.
“They shouldn’t have treated you that way. No female should be treated that way. They are cowards and I am nothing like them.”
Izzy regarded him silently with thoughtful brown eyes.
“We’ll see. When you have to choose between me and them, I wonder whom you will choose.”
Izzy had no doubt he would choose his pack over her. She returned her towel to the bathroom and returned to the wardrobe. Inside, she found a set of sheets and pillow cases. She removed the flat sheet and one pillow case. She walked to the bed, selected an unused pillow, removed the case and set it on the bed. She slipped on the new pillow case and walked to the couch. She spread the sheet over the couch, placing the pillow against an arm.
“What are you doing?” Jackson inquired.
“Making my bed.”
“You prefer the couch?”
Izzy glanced over at his large bed. She straightened and asked, “When was the last time you changed the sheets?”
“Changed... the...sheets?” Jackson gave her a blank look.
“That’s what I thought.”
Jackson grunted as he walked toward his bed. He stripped the bed, went to the wardrobe, removed the fitted sheet and tried to spread his bed. Izzy watched, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing as he slipped one end of the sheet on the bed then struggled to get the other end of the sheet on the mattress. Each time he tugged on the sheet, the covered end would slide off. He growled low, frustrated at his inability to do a simple chore, but he refused to ask for help. Eventually, he figured out that he should turn the sheet. Finally, the fitted sheet stayed on each corner and he could spread his bed. Without glancing at Izzy, Jackson slipped on the new pillow case and placed a new comforter on the bed. He gathered the dirty laundry and carried them to the hamper in the bathroom. He returned to the couch and announced, “The sheets are clean.”
“I’ll sleep here.”
“You refuse to sleep in my bed?” Jackson asked, stunned and insulted.
“Given the circumstances, I think it’s best that we don’t share a bed, don’t you?”
Without giving her an answer, he turned and marched into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
Izzy glanced at the kitchen table, astonished to find it clean. While she was showering, Jackson had put away their dinner. She checked the sink. He had even done the dishes.
Surely he isn’t trying to impress me?
Physically and emotionally exhausted, Izzy returned to the couch. Shortly after settling down, she fell asleep.
Jackson left his bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He pulled on a pair of boxers and returned his towel to the bathroom. He removed a throw from the chest at the foot of his bed and walked to the couch. He covered his sleeping mate and decided to start a fire. Still on his knees next to the fireplace, he studied
his sleeping mate, once again wondering about the scars on her lovely face.
His wolf, slightly agitated, demanded he carry Bella to their bed. He fought his wolfish instincts, knowing Bella was right. He stood and went to bed. The last person he wanted in his bed was his brother’s murderer.
Chapter Two
By the time Jackson woke the next morning, Izzy had already made a pot of coffee. She had returned the pillow to the bed and folded the sheet, placing it neatly on the chest. She sat on the couch, gazing at the fire since Jackson didn’t have a TV. She didn’t find any books either. Not even a magazine could be found on the coffee table or in the bathroom. She wondered whether he could read.
Jackson stretched and did his morning exercises before rewarding himself with a cup of coffee. He called the Mess Hall, requesting food for himself and his mate. This morning he felt different. For the first time in six weeks, he wasn’t consumed with rage. His rage was still there, just below the surface, but it was tempered with a growing desire for his mate. He took the cup of hot coffee and sat on the sofa next to Izzy. He cleared his throat and she turned her head toward him.
“After breakfast, I will take you shopping so you can get some clothes.”
“Not planning on killing me today?” Her eyes glittered with amusement.
“Not today,” was his only response.
Someone knocked gently on the door. Expecting their food, Jackson opened the door.
“Mary Ann! Wha-what are you doing here?”
“Good Morning, Sweetie Pookums! I thought I’d surprise you with breakfast. I made your fa-vo-rite!”
Maryann’s singsong voice was annoying and Izzy felt like slapping her for being so cheerful this early in the morning.
Isabella's Dilemma: Wolf Secrets Book 1 Page 2