FINALLY, MY DESTINED TRUE MATE

BEASTS

ISABELLE

“Don't think that I don't know what the two of you did last year. You killed your mate Robert." The Luna's raises her voice and the tone changes. She is certainly angry. But what she has just said sends cold shivers down my spine. I have been hearing whispers at school, mostly behind my back, but now they are being confirmed before me. I am beyond shocked. I can't even think straight. The silence in the room is so pronounced that I can hear them breathing. My sense of hearing is so enhanced and sometimes I can hear very faint voices. But right now I don't want to listen any more. I tiptoe from the corridor and back to my room. Even then I can hear the three of them talking in high tones, arguing.

I sit down and start recalling something I heard in school. Some girls were talking behind me in class, in coded messages but I understood everything. They were implying that Robert had done something bad, but they didn't say what it was exactly. When they found out that I was listening to their conversation they changed the topic, but I remained with a question in my mind. What was it? I had already agreed to become his girlfriend at that time so there I could only wait and find out.

So this was it? He had killed his mate? And what would prevent him from doing it to me? Did this explain why he proposed to me instead of waiting for his mate? Was he certain that he would never get a mate because she was dead, killed by him and his father? Were they this evil? And how did he manage to fool everyone that he was a cool guy?

These questions come through my mind in quick succession and I can't even find an answer for them because every time a question comes another follows. My head is now spinning in confusion and I sit down and support it with my palm. That's when I notice that I have tears in my eyes. I stay in that state for long, my brain empty, just staring at the floor. My only wish is that I can be granted permission to leave this hell of a pack and go to my mate. I suddenly regret why I joined it.

The Alpha and his son Robert, if it's true they are bad people, then they are experts in concealing their vile nature. All the time I have been here they have been behaving like good gentlemen. But now I have my doubts. They say that still waters run deep. Behind this good guy facade are very dangerous criminals.

The door opens and all of a sudden I am startled from my state of stupor. The Luna walks in, looking fatigued. She locks the door then looks at me for a while before walking to a chair near me where she sits and faces the ceiling. I go back to my state of stupor and let her think.

“My daughter, my stand is still the same. I want you to leave in the morning. You can't leave right now because it's already late in the night and doing so may endanger your life. But don't worry, immediately after sunrise you can walk away. I bless your journey." She says finally.

“Did the Alpha give me the permission you went to ask for?" I ask her, even though I know the answer. She doesn't remove her gaze from the ceiling.

“No. I didn't even ask him. We were talking about other matters affecting the pack. The discussion took so much time and by the time I was through I was too tired. I just remembered that I didn't ask for your permission now. But you can still go. I'll talk to him in the morning. Now it's too late, let's get to bed and sleep. I am too tired already and I can't think straight. Let's talk in the morning, I have to sleep now." She says as she gets up. I know she has lied because I know what I heard.

I watch as she walks slowly to the door and she turns the knob. When the door opens she turns to face me.

“Rest assured that I have your back. Nothing wrong is going to happen in the few hours remaining. When dawn comes I'll personally escort you out of this pack's territory. Now get to bed, tomorrow you will meet your mate." She says. I beckon her back into the room and when she obliges I walk to the door and close it. Then I face her. She is shorter than me by a few inches and I am staring down at her. She stands submissively, waiting for what I have to tell her.

“Tell me, did Robert kill his mate?" I ask her in a very low tone because I am not certain of who might be in the corridor.

“Please Isabelle, I beseech you, don't go there. That is a very volatile region. Just desist from digging this up. It has been completely buried and if it resurfaces it may become a recipe for disaster." She says in an equally low tone. She seems scared and I understand her. She is almost trembling in fear.

“Tell me, I only need a yes or no answer. Did the Alpha and Robert kill someone who was Robert's mate?" I repeat the question. I can't believe that it's me who is doing all this. I am amazed at how courageous I have become.

“Let's sit down." She whispers and we head back to the coach. We sit only a few inches apart.

“Yes. The Alpha and my son are animals. They killed Susan, Robert's mate who had come to this pack looking for him. No one knows where she came from and when she came here only a few people knew about the visit. She came straight to the pack house, where the attraction was leading her and she confirmed that Robert was her mate. However the Alpha didn't like the girl and he ordered Robert to reject her." She pauses to reflect. I want her to continue, I want to hear what happened next.

“The girl refused to leave even after Robert rejected her. Robert himself took her to the basement of this house and handed her over to the people who stay there. Their job is to torture pack members. They derive pleasure from inflicting pain on others." She pauses again.

“Why didn't they just let her leave?" I ask out of curiosity. It didn't make sense to torture her, she was innocent. And why would Robert follow what his father tells him however stupid it is?

“Robert is my son, but he copies a lot from his father. They are beasts. The girl was tortured, injected with wolves bane and other painful concoctions until she died. They later dissolved her body in acid and threw the remains away. I was away when this happened. I can assure you, if I wasn't away, they wouldn't have done such an abominable act." She concludes. I have a question for her, and this may determine whether to trust her or not.

“If you know that they are indeed beasts, why didn't you notify me to stop that engagement party?" I ask her.

“I was deeply praying that it flops. Remember I told you several times that you shouldn't rush things. I also lectured to both of you about mate bonds when you were about to commit a terrible mistake. I am glad now that you have seen the light and found out what you are really dealing with. I did what I needed to do at that time." She answers me satisfactorily.

“Thanks. Let's wait for the morning. I need to get out of here. It's not what I thought it was." I say. She rises from the seat and walks hastily to the door, opens it and walks into the corridor.

After gathering my items, I lock my suitcases and go straight to bed. Because I am tired I sleep immediately.

“The Luna has left to attend to a very grave matter. Her father was involved in a road accident early this morning and she had to go and look at him since he has no caregiver. She'll be back as soon as she settles this emergency." The secretary at her office tells me when I go there in the morning. I feel some guilty because I have overslept. I also feel pity for her father but then I have a journey in front of me. But I wonder why she didn't bid me goodbye.

When I get back to my room, Robert is waiting there with two other people, a man and a woman. The woman hits me and I land on the floor immediately.

Because of the abruptness of the event, I forget to rub on the magic ring. It's long since I used it and I have now taken it for granted. The woman quickly removes my necklace and ring and places them on the table. Now I am powerless.

“Isabelle, we gave you our generosity. You now want to leave and join our enemy. This is not a way to repay us. We can't allow this to happen." Robert says. Immediately the woman pounces on me and lifts me up from the ground. I am shaking with fear now that I don't have my ring.

“Take her to the basement. I'll give you my instructions later." He says as he saunters out of the room.

The woman punches me in the stomach and I pass out.