by Kim Fox
Isabelle looked to her father as he paced around the room with his wide chin in his hand. The large majestic elk standing proudly at the door watched him as he walked back and forth across the stone floor of her room. Those two never left each other’s side. Her father had linked-up with the elk when Isabelle was just a kid and she didn’t have one memory of her father without his elk, Bach, standing close by his side.
“Fine,” her father said. “Rhett, you go. He’ll be more likely to come back if he knows that the four horsemen will stand behind him.”
“Three of the horseman,” Isabelle corrected. “Only three.” Her brother Wallace was still on Jacob’s side. Her father just couldn’t seem to grasp the disturbing truth about his son.
“Wallace will see before it’s too late,” her father said with a frown. “I raised my son right.”
Isabelle hoped her father was right but it wasn’t looking like he was. She had seen her brother’s true nature and it was just as dark as her husband’s.
Isabelle took a deep breath as she glanced at Rhett, and then turned to her father. “I should go, Daddy.”
“Absolutely not!” he shouted. His elk, Bach, lowered his head and rumbled low, taking a step forward with his antlers pointing out like swords. Isabelle’s father placed his hand on the elk’s snout, calming him at once. “Jacob will kill you if he finds out.”
Isabelle wasn’t afraid of that. She would rather be dead than be Jacob’s prisoner for another day.
“I’ll be okay, Daddy,” she said, stepping over to her father. He shook his massive head as he stared up at the ceiling. “I’ll be careful. I promise. And Rhett, Nathan, and Emry will be watching out for me.” She placed her hand on her father’s thick forearm and he looked down at her with sad, worried eyes.
“He’ll listen to me, Daddy,” she said, feeling a fluttering in her stomach. She wasn’t sure if Tyler would listen. He probably never wanted to see her again after what she’d done to him. But she had to see him again. Jacob was becoming more powerful every day, turning into what the elders called a master skin shifter, and he was becoming crueler and meaner with every passing second. She felt like her days were numbered and she couldn’t die without seeing Tyler one last time.
Her father turned to Rhett with a furious look on his face. “If anything happens to her,” he warned in a stern voice. “I’m holding you personally responsible.”
Rhett straightened and then nodded. “I’ll stick to Jacob while she’s gone like Bach over there sticks to you.”
Her father sighed as he turned to the elk and placed a large hand on his old, faithful friend. “Then go. And remember…if anything happens to her, you’ll need more than a flock of birds to stop me.”
Rhett glanced at Isabelle and flashed her a sad smile. “Good luck,” he whispered. “Tell my cousin that we need him.”
“I will,” Isabelle whispered as Rhett climbed out the window, surrounded by his birds.
“Are you sure about this?” her father asked once they were alone again.
“No,” she said, shaking her head as she fought back tears. “But Jacob is out of control. He has to be stopped.”
Her father nodded. He knew that Jacob’s younger brother, Tyler, was the only one who could do it.
“Tyler will come,” he finally said with a confident nod. “He’s a good man and will do what’s right. The council made a mistake when they chose his brother.”
So did I.
He pulled her in for a warm hug, wrapping his giant arms around her slim body. “Go get him,” he said, kissing her blonde hair. “So we can end this madness once and for all.”
three
“I think we should rename Scrappy to Yappy,” Karl said, laughing at the pup as he hid behind Thorn’s legs and barked like a little squeaky toy at the new wolf.
Thorn picked up the dog and held him to his chest, protecting the dog in his muscular arms. “Leave him alone. He’s just a pup.”
Tyler looked down at the wolf sitting beside him and smiled. Her head was tilted as she curiously stared at the yapping dog. Isabelle hadn’t left his side all day. He was getting used to her company and he even kind of liked it. It was nice to not feel so alone for once.
“You look bad-ass with a wolf by your side,” Kylee said, nodding in approval.
“A little too bad-ass,” Slate said. “Let’s hope that Jack lets her into the bar.”
Crap. Tyler hadn’t thought about that. He wondered what Jack’s policy was on letting wolves enter the Call of the Wild bar. It probably wasn’t good and Isabelle didn’t look like the type to lie calmly outside. Oh well, it’s a small price to pay for a loyal new friend.
The crunching sound of tires on gravel made them all turn their heads. It was early evening and nobody was expecting any visitors. Maybe it’s those Vega brothers stopping by at dinner time to ransack our chili again. Tyler wouldn’t have been surprised.
Isabelle perked up at his side as she stared at the empty road. An old Volkswagen pulled up and Tyler sighed. It was a car just like Isabelle used to drive. She always loved Volkswagens. “Nobody makes cars like the Germans,” she would always say.
“Who is that?” Royal asked, watching as a gorgeous blonde woman stepped out of the car.
“She’s beautiful,” Layla said with a gasp. “Great, now I’m the fourth prettiest girl here.”
Tyler was too stunned to speak. His heart was racing and he was getting lightheaded as he stared at the ghost from his past. Isabelle. It was actually her.
“Maybe a delivery girl,” Slate said, scratching his head. “She doesn’t have any pizzas. Layla, did you order me flowers?”
Tyler gulped. His stomach felt so heavy. Did it always feel this heavy? “She’s here for me,” he whispered, his throat dry and scratchy.
Isabelle waved shyly at him, lingering by her car, looking too afraid to come over.
“Well, are you just going to stand there?” Camilla asked. “Go see the poor girl.”
Right. Tyler could barely think. All he wanted to do was run into the forest and hide. He wasn’t expecting this. He wasn’t ready for this. Why was she here? What did she want?
“Tyler,” Thorn said, looking at him with concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
Tyler shook out his hands and took a step forward. He stopped in front of Thorn. “Come get me in five minutes,” he whispered. “Make something up.”
“Okay,” Thorn said, looking at him with confusion in his charcoal gray eyes.
Every step felt heavier and heavier as he approached her. Isabelle. Tyler didn’t think that he would ever see her again. He didn’t think that he could ever handle seeing her again. He was glad that his wolf was beside him for support.
His thoughts were racing while he tried to make sense of the situation. Did she come to trample his heart again? Was there something wrong in Creston Falls? When did she cut her hair?
Tyler took a deep breath as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans and looked anywhere but right at her, the most beautiful angel that he’d ever seen. Her hair was shorter than he remembered. She had always worn it long, to just above her nice ass and it was jarring to see it stop at her narrow, delicate shoulders. Her face looked just as stunning as ever with her dainty nose and the light dusting of freckles sprinkled on the tops of her cheeks. Tyler had kissed each one of those freckles at least a dozen times.
“Hi, Tyler,” she said, wringing her hands together. She looked just as nervous as he felt.
He had spent many long sleepless nights dreaming of her gentle hazel eyes but in his dreams he didn’t feel the heartache that he was feeling now. It was all coming crashing back, the hurt, the pain, the broken heart.
“Hi, Isabelle,” he said with a painful tightness in his throat. “You’re looking well. I like the hair.”
Her ears turned red as she strung her fingers through it self-consciously. “Jacob hated it long,” she said in a bitter voice. “I miss it.”
Tyler
couldn’t stop staring at her. It was like watching a ghost from his past. A ghost who broke his heart and was now back to trample the pieces.
“Are you okay?” Isabelle asked with a pained look on her face.
Tyler shook his head and puffed out his chest. “Of course,” he said, catching himself. “I just wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“I know,” she said, dropping her eyes and clasping her hands together. “I’m sorry to show up unannounced.”
They stood there awkwardly, not making eye contact and not saying what was truly on their minds. That awkwardness was the part that hurt the most. It felt weird to be so stiff and awkward with someone who he had been so intimate with. They used to talk about everything, sharing all of their dreams and desires, and now, it was just boring uncomfortable small talk.
“How did you find me?” he asked. Tyler hadn’t exactly sent any Christmas cards home with his return address on the envelope.
“Rhett found you,” she answered. “We’ve been looking for a long time.”
His heart raced at hearing that; Isabelle had been looking for him.
“Why?” he asked, trying not to get his hopes up.
“We need you.”
We not I.
“Your people need you,” she said with pleading eyes.
Tyler just turned away, looking at a broken tree behind the cars. It was wounded and the trunk had been split down the middle. “My people don’t want me,” he finally said after taking a deep breath. “They made their choice and now they’re stuck with it.”
And so are you.
“They messed up,” she said, her voice coming out higher and more desperate. “We all see it now. You were the right choice all along. Not Jacob.”
Tyler cringed. It had shattered his heart when the council chose his older brother over him to rule the skin shifter community of Creston Falls. The same brother who had tried to take his life but only managed to take his leg.
“He’s grown so powerful,” she said barely above a whisper as if she was afraid that Jacob would hear her. The color was slowly draining from her face as she shivered.
Even after all that she did to him, after all that she put him through, Tyler still wanted to step forward and wrap his protective arms around her. He still wanted to shield her from everything, to console her and tell her that everything would be okay. It hurt him to see her looking so scared, so fragile.
“What has he done now?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and resisting the urge to touch her.
She stared at the cold dirt as she clutched her stomach. “What hasn’t he done?” she said with a trembling voice.
Tyler’s heart pounded as he thought of his brother. Violent. Cruel. Hateful. Jacob was all of those things and more. He was the type of guy who would look forward to going to hell. It was where he belonged and he would be right at home by the Devil’s side.
“Tyler,” she whispered. “He’s become a master skin shifter.”
“Shit,” Tyler cursed as the energy drained from his body. Jacob had always shown the signs of being a master skin shifter; the birthmark on his ribs, channeling multiple animals, and of course, the golden eyes. “You sure?” he asked, feeling an empty pit in his stomach at the news. “You’ve seen it?”
Isabelle nodded with her lips pinched closed. “I have. He can channel multiple animals while he’s awake. I saw him control a tiger and three bears at the same time. And he was completely conscious the entire time.”
“Shit.” This was even worse than he had imagined. Jacob was always crazy but with this added power he must be like a deranged God. Master skin shifters were so rare. They could draw the animals out of shifters and channel them, they could also take over the animals of other skin shifters, and they could control an army of animals while awake and moving. It was bad. No wonder the skin shifters of Creston Falls were desperate to get rid of him.
“I still don’t know what you expect me to do about it,” Tyler said coldly. “I don’t live there anymore.”
“You’re his younger brother,” she said, looking at him with big doleful eyes. “You’re the next in line to rule. The elders will stand behind you. They’re loyal to you.”
Tyler couldn’t help but laugh. He had seen their true loyalty when everything had come to a head. Not one of the elders had come to say goodbye when Jacob had excommunicated him.
“Rhett, Nathan, and Emry are on your side as well,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “They will help you overthrow Jacob.”
Tyler shook his head. His cousin, Rhett, and the two Chevy brothers, Nathan and Emry, were Jacob’s right-hand men. Three of the four horsemen. “What about Wallace? Where does he stand?”
Isabelle dropped her eyes and quickly shook her head. Her brother Wallace always had a few screws loose. Tyler hadn’t been surprised when he had supported Jacob, and he wasn’t surprised now. Those two were so similar that it was scary.
Tyler caught himself. All of this drama and bullshit was in his past. Why was he letting Isabelle stir it all back up? He had a new life with a new family. He wasn’t ever going to go back to Creston Falls so why drag it out?
“I don’t know what to tell you, Isabelle,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I live here now. These guys are my family. There’s nothing back there for me.”
She lowered her head and stared at the ground with a stony expression. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
It was tough to disappoint her, even with all of the disappointment that she had flung in his face, but Tyler pushed through it, sticking to his guns. “Creston Falls brought me nothing but sorrow and pain. I’m never going back.”
She rubbed her arm as she gave him a forced smile. “Well, it was good to see you, Tyler,” she said with her chin trembling. “I just wish it hadn’t been under these circumstances.”
Tyler just nodded his head.
“You linked-up to a wolf?” she asked, looking down at the wolf by his side like it was the first time that she had even noticed her. “She’s beautiful.”
Tyler smiled as he pet her soft head. “Just this morning actually.”
“Really?” Isabelle asked, tilting her head to the side. “She looks so attached to you already. I would have thought that you two had been linked for years.” She turned back to Tyler and smiled. “Animals always did love you so much.”
At least something did.
“What’s her name?”
Tyler swallowed hard as his chest tightened. How was he going to explain this? “Her name is Isabelle.”
Isabelle’s soft hazel eyes darted to his and she was looking at him with an incredulous stare on her beautiful face. “You named your wolf after me?” she asked, stuttering and stammering on the words. “Why?”
Tyler took several heavy breaths, feeling like all of the intense emotions and feelings that he had bottled up over the years was going to explode out of him.
He ran his hand through his brown hair and grabbed a fistful of it as he shook his head. “Because…Because I just couldn’t live anymore without having that name in my life.”
Tyler opened his mouth to explain but he had no words. He meant what he said.
“Oh, Tyler,” Isabelle said, her chin trembling as she looked at him with watery eyes. “How did things get so screwed up between us? We were so close. I thought that we were going to be together forever.”
Tyler swallowed down the familiar bitterness that was creeping up his throat. “Yeah, well, things don’t always work out as they should.”
He had to look away as she stepped forward. “I know that I hurt you,” she said with a shaky voice. “I was young and scared and I just did what everyone was expecting of me.”
“It wasn’t what I was expecting,” he said, his wounded words coming out bitter and hard. “You chose Jacob over me.”
It was important to remember that. It was important to remember that the person he was missing was the person that she had pretended to be, not the person
that she was now. He didn’t love this woman. He had loved the woman she had been up until he heard those words come out of her mouth at the council hearing all of those years ago: “I choose Jacob.”
He could still hear it perfectly, still see the cracks on her luscious lips as she formed out the sound of his name. And it hurt now as much as it did the first time.
“Tyler,” Thorn called out as he walked over. “Can I get your help with the horses? I have to give Savannah her medicine and I need you to help calm her down.”
I guess my five minutes is up.
“I’ll be right there,” he said, nodding at Thorn. When he turned back to Isabelle he was shocked to see tears rolling down her cheeks. “I have to go.”
“Alright,” she said, her voice sad and low. “I’m sorry I disturbed you.”
Tyler’s heart pounded out of control as he watched her get back in her car. He wanted to stop her, to tell her that he still cared, that he still loved her. He wanted to follow her back home and kill his brother just so that he could spend five more minutes with her.
But he just let her go.
She was a ghost from his past and that’s where she belonged. In his past.
He huffed out a breath as she disappeared down the road leaving a cloud of dust behind her. He was the one who denied her this time. He was the one who had said no. But it didn’t feel any better.
It still felt horrible.
“Was that Isabelle?” Thorn asked when they were finally alone.
Tyler squeezed his eyes closed as his stomach hardened. “Yeah.”
“Want to talk about it?” Thorn asked.
“Maybe later,” Tyler said, feeling broken inside once again. “I just need some time.”
“Okay, buddy,” he said, stepping back. “I’ll have Stetson make meatloaf for dinner. Hopefully, it will help make you feel better.”
Meatloaf was his favorite. Tyler smiled. These guys were his family now. This was where he belonged.
“Thanks, Thorn,” he said with a nod. He turned towards the forest and took off running with his wolf following close behind him.