ISABEL

FIFTEEN

Dylan waved Xavi goodbye as he drove his grey Chevrolet sedan out of the driveway. It was 7:30pm when he got back from training the pack warriors. Xavi had offered to drive him home, seeing how stressed he looked after the training session, which he didn't object.

Within the three days Dylan has spent training the werewolves, he realized that there was nothing different about the werewolves from the Pride pack. They had similar characteristics, likes, dislikes, sense of humor, he could go on and on with the list. He realized there was nothing special or extraordinary about them, besides their large number, their zeal and dedication to fight at anytime,their will to lay down their lives for their pack, the unbreakable bond between humans and werewolves, and above all, their passionate belief and trust in their alphas. This was something no other pack could rival.

Dylan walked into the house feeling exhausted from having to bark orders all day. He wasn't this exhausted on the first and second day. Maybe that was because he didn't train the werewolves and humans at the beginners level. He took out a bottle of water and a slice of pizza Fernando got for him earlier from the refrigerator, and heated the pizza in the microwave and devoured the slice in less than a minute when it was ready. He hasn't had a proper meal ever since he arrived at the Pride pack, and no one was to blame for that but himself, because he was initially grumpy for being separated from his family, then he became angry after finding out about his mate's affair with her beta, now he's gloomy as he has no idea where his mate is. So, how can he bring himself to eat like a king, with all these unresolved issues?

He went upstairs after doing the dishes, mentally preparing himself for a long shower, to help ease his stress. What he wasn't expecting when he switched on the light in his room was to find his mate comfortably seated on the sofa in his bedroom with her legs crossed and her eyes closed like she was asleep. Dylan had his hand to his chest, to steady his breathing. She was wearing her signature all black outfit and her tight ponytail. He was screaming inside his head to turn around and leave the room now he has the chance, but his body and his wolf was telling him otherwise.

"She won't hurt us. She adores us"

He wished with all his heart that what his wolf claimed was true, but how would he know if he left her presence. Dylan then resigned himself to his fate. Whatever punishment Isabel would mete out to him, he was going to accept without a fight, but first, let him worship the beautiful goddess before him, and think about his punishment when she wakes up. He didn't even have the chance to satisfy his eyes as Isabel suddenly opened her gorgeous brown eyes, taking him unawares.

"I've been waiting" She said in a silky tone, sending shivers down his spine.

He swallowed hard and cleared his throat, preparing himself for the worse, even though her tone said the opposite.

"It came to my notice that you've been training the warriors"

This wasn't at all what Isabel intended to say. She wanted to know why he hasn't been eating, why he looks sleep deprived, why he seems unhappy and how she can change his mindset towards her, but her pride as an alpha wouldn't let her open up the way her mom wanted her to.

To say Dylan was surprised, at the same time disappointed with her statement was an understatement. He expected her to be mad at him for not being there for her when she needed him. To yell and curse at him, or even go to the extent of hitting him, so he would feel guilty for his actions, but she wasn't doing any of that. Do all alpha werewolves mask their emotions from their mates or was she this way with him because she was involved with someone else. What kind of mates are they anyway? His mom and dad are inseparable, so is his brother, Daniel with his mate. Why is his totally different from theirs? If his wolf hadn't felt the bond on their first encounter, and she didn't confirm that she was present at his eighteenth birthday, he would've most likely thought that all of this was a set up to get to his pack.