The Clear Choice

{ Chapter 25 }

Issac's POV

I smiled at Tobias, glad that at least one other person in this pack was accepting of Clary and I. My brother an I have been at each others throats for so long I've almost forgotten what it was like not to be upset with him.

My little moment of relief was quickly extinguished when I heard a sharp intake of breath from behind me. A loud thud sounded and I spun around.

Clary was leaning her back against the desk with both her hands bracing her as she gasped for air.

Panic erupted inside me and I bolted to stand in front of her hysteric body, my hands coming to hold her face as her blue eyes shut tightly.

"Clary!" I exclaimed, extremely confused. She just shook her head frantically and griped the desk harder.

"What's going on?" Tobias questioned cautiously, coming to stand next to me as I held Clary's face gently.

Clary ripped out of my hold and I instantly felt cold as my hands dropped from her skin. She began to pace on the other side of the desk near the window, both her hands in her hair.

"Clary would you please tell me what's going on?" I wanted to shout, but I kept my voice calm enough to make her sigh and stop pacing.

"It's my father." She whispered, looking out the window. I knew she was watching the mountains in the distance.

"What-" Tobias started but I cut him off, suddenly, really wishing he wasn't here at the moment.

"What about him, Clary?" I said slowly, moving around the desk to be closer to her.

"He mind-linked me" She muttered, her eyes now open and frantic. "just now."

I reached out a placed a hand on the small of her back, running circles on the white T-shirt of mine she wore. Confusion laced my every thought, I was sure that she had put up a strong mental barrier between her mind and her pack's. How had her father gotten into her head?

Once again she stepped out of my touch and I felt my shoulders deflate. Clary began placing again and kept looking in between Tobias and I. She was scaring the hell out of me and I hated seeing her so distraught.

"He knows I'm here, Issac." She stated, looking at me finally. "And he knows we are together. I-I don't know how-"

"How could he possibly know any of that?" I said slowly, wanting to yell again but keeping my tone as calm as possible. She was already paralyzed with fear.

"Easy." Tobias added in, his smile gone and his arms crossed. "Your pack had more spies than just you." He said directly to my Mate.

I growled at him lowly but Clary just looked at him with an unreadable expressions. "I was the first spy, the only one." She said strongly. "But. As of right now I wouldn't be surprised if there were others."

My Wolf was extremely alert by here words and the fact that she looked on the verge of tears. More spies? Rage courses through my heated veins at the thought.

"Should've known not to trust you-" Tobias sneered and uncrossed his arms, shooting daggers at Clary with the look he was giving her.

"Toby. Leave, get out." I said strongly.

I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backwards; away from my hyperventilating Mate. I should've known he wouldn't be all trusting and smiling for long.

"It's you job to watch out for this pack you know!" Tobias ripped my hand off him. "Stop being so blind because of her." He pointed a finger at Clary.

"I'm not repeating myself." I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes at him. He is always quick to blame Clary when the spies, really, have nothing to do with her personally.

"You better clear your head before we loose this war." My brother reached for the door handle and yanked it. "As of now Kane has the upper hand."

The door slams shut but I don't flinch. He doesn't understand what it's like to have Mate like Clary and he doesn't know what it's like to be the Alpha everyone is looking to.

My skin burned with anger and I wanted to call my brother back inside the room just to punch him directly in the face.

"Issac." Clary whimpers from behind me.

All the pent up rage, pressure and confusion just rises and I can't get my fathers disapproving eyes out of my head. Or my mothers green ones. What would she think of me if she could see me now? I don't really remember, but my vision went red and I let out a loud yell; rearing back my arm to punch the wall.

My hand makes various snapping noises because of the concrete walling and I let out a frustrated groan; clutching my broken hand with my other. I deserved it though, I told myself.

Then all of a sudden, bringing me out of my white-hot rage, small arms came to wrap around my torso from behind. My body shook with retreating anger and I tired to focus on the press of Clary's body on mine.

Then, she let me go, and I tried to fight the pressurized anger wanting to push back to the surface. Clary moved to stand in between me and the rock-hard wall, her beautiful blue eyes were red and her face was worried.

"Give me your hand." She muttered, reaching out her own. Her voice was so steady despite everything, where as I don't think I could muster up a sentence without yelling. "Issac." She repeated.

Sighing I let go of my crumbled hand and held it out to her. The skin was bloody and smashed and I cringed at the horrid angles my fingers were twisted into.

"Oh, God." She tentatively took my broken hand and looked at me with concerned eyes. "Issac you've got to find other ways to let out your anger." She joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

The image of smashing my lips to hers and getting lost in her body played, letting my rage roll of my skin with her underneath me. I know that wasn't what she was talking about but I couldn't keep away my mind's wandering desires.

I flinched slightly when she took my silence as a sign to clamp both her hands around my smashed one. Clary closed her eyes lightly, just like in the infirmary.

My hand twitched as the bones began to snap back into place. I just watched her peaceful face as she concentrated on healing me, I truly didn't deserve her.

Clary pulled away and I sighed. Looking down at my hand, it was now fixed and bruise-free. I flexed it and felt no pain, if only she had been around for all the other times I smashed my hands on unbreakable objects.

"Are you okay?" I finally asked. My voice wasn't as steady as I would like it.

"I'm not the one who just tried to make a hole in a concrete wall." She smiled slightly and my stomach clenched in a familiar reaction to her light voice.

I held her gaze for a little before talking. "True." I said slowly. "But you are the one who's insane father just mind linked her to threaten her."

She swallows and lets go of my hand. "I don't even know how he did it." She said. "It was like he shattered the barrier I put up."

"Guess he's stronger than we all thought." I muttered.

"And he's always one step ahead of us." Clary shut her eyes tightly and shook her head, obviously trying to keep him out of her head by rebuilding her mental walls.

"Hey." I said. I reached out for her and tucked her head into the crook of my neck. "We aren't giving up. No matter how far ahead he is, we'll try and catch up."

"How are we even going to win?" She stammered into my chest. My heart fell at her hopeless tone.

I pulled her away slightly and looked her in her bloodshot eyes. "Not with thoughts like that." I tried to lighten the mood. "The packs helping us are coming soon and in case you haven't noticed, our pack is training nonstop."

I watched her lips turn up into a smile. "Our pack." She whispered while looking up at me with her head on my chest. "I like that."

"Good." I kissed her forehead. "I don't want you to be afraid, Clary. I've got you."

I tightened my grip on her and she nestled her head back into my neck, her lips pressing against my throat slightly. She wrapped her arms around my torso and I felt all the pressure taken of my shoulders.

"I've got you." I repeated into her ear slowly, my breath moving her hair slightly. I've never been so close and trusting with someone. It broke my heart when she betrayed me, I didn't think I'd be able to get over it. But now, with her in my arms, I knew she regretted it and never would go behind my back again.

"I'm going to help" She mumbled into my chest. "and tell you everything you need to know about my father and my pack so you can win this war."

I swayed us back and forth, so proud of her and so thankful that she returned to me.

"And I'm going to get you to trust me again." She lifted her head out of my neck and stood on her tiptoes, leaning her forehead against mine.

"Hm." I hummed. My rage and anger had dissolved and I felt calm with her in my arms. "I already do."

Then she kissed me. Her hands threading into my hair and her body stretching up on her toes to reach my height. The wonderful sparks erupted throughout my body staring at her lips on mine.

I used to never want to have a weakness, someone who I would die for. Old me saw having a Mate as a distraction and a inconvenience. But Clary came, and left, and than came back; changing me. I couldn't help but to keep letting her into my life.

She wasn't just here to help win this war against her father. She was here to win the war of my heart versus my head.

And my heart was winning.



Clary's POV

"We need to plan." I stated, tucking my legs underneath me. I was sat on the leather couch across from Issac who was ruffling through papers on his desk. "As in call Tobias back, and Lucas and Rosaline-"

"I don't want Tobias around." Issac huffed. He stopped his movements and met my gaze with an intense look.

"You need your Beta, your third in command and at least one Peacekeeper to help with all this, Issac." I said, staring back just as intensely. "We can't do this all by ourselves."'

I received a heavy groan in response and tried to stifle a laugh when he dropped his head onto the wooden surface of the desk dramatically. I knew if it was up to him, he would try do this all alone. But whether he wanted to admit it or not, he needed his family and pack members.

Issac lifted his head up and held his face in his palms, resting his elbows in the desk. "They're on their way." He mumbled into his hands.

Guessing that he had just mind-linked them, I sighed; not knowing if I could even hold a conversation with any of those four people right now.

Shaking my head at Issac's also obvious reluctance, I stood and walked to stand in front of his desk. He opened his eyes and looked at my from behind the fingers splayed over his face.

"But if Toby starts being an ass again I really am going to end up punching him instead of a wall." Issac stated, taking his hands from his face.

"Can't say he doesn't have it coming." I chuckled lightly, moving around the desk to stand on his side.

Issac watched me like he always does, like I'm something he thinks he's looking at for the first or last time. His green eyes travel with mine and his face is grazed with a look of pure admiration.

He shifts back in the chair and spreads open his toned arms. I quickly crawl into his lap even though the chair is hardly big enough for the both of us. I wrap my arms around his neck and he snakes his around my waist carefully.

I feel a press of lips on top of my head. "Mm." He mumbled into my hair. "You're warm."

He nudges my head with his own to burry it into my neck. I giggle loudly as I almost fall out off his lap. I grip onto his shirt and squeal as he nibbles on my ear teasingly.

"I still need to get you back from when you bit me this morning." He says into my ear mockingly, making my nerves go fuzzy with sparks.

"I'm too smart to let you get me back." I laughed into his shirt, fingers toying with his hair, still basking in the euphoric feeling of his body pressed against mine.

"Really?" Issac said into my ear again. "Well what if I-"

The door of the office opened loudly and I yelped in surprise, jumping in Issac's lap only to find myself fall backwards onto the dark-wood floor.

I landed on my butt with a thud after Issac's failed attempt at trying to catch me. His body slipped from his chair after mine and I covered my mouth to stop the laughter bubbling up inside me.

We had landed behind the large desk splayed on top of eachother and I grew embarrassed at the fact that others were waiting on the other side, clearly confused.

Issac grinned and lent over to press a quick kiss to my cheek, making my face grow pinker. He stood up and held out his hand to me but his eyes were looking towards the office doors.

The atmosphere in the room had gone from light to heavy once I took his hand cautiously and he pulled me up.

Tobias, Lucas, Nina and Rosaline all stood by the doors watching us. I swallowed nervously and met each of their narrowed gazes. My cheeks flushed slightly as Issac wrapped a strong arm around my waist and pulled me close.

"Thanks for coming so quickly." He said steadily, looking from person to person. "I need to speak with all of you."

I looked into Nina's yellow-hazel eyes, remembering the last time I saw her when she jabbed a needle into me; I had yet to decide to trust her.

"We already know you plan to keep Clary around." Nina stated, trying to keep her tone light even though I know she wanted to snap. I knew she wasn't dumb enough to backtalk her Alpha.

Tobias sighed lowly and I looked at him. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his attitude still pissed and jaw locked in permanent frustration.

"I do plan to, and you should do well to respect my decisions." Issac says. "But there's more, and I- well I need you guys. We need you." He tightened his grip on me with his last words.

They all exchanged glances and I prayed no one would upset Issac again, he already felt pressured enough and from the look on his face; he didn't ask for help a lot.

"What else is there?" Rosaline replied. Her dirty-blonde hair was tied behind her head in a pony-tail that swayed when she moved.

"Sit." Issac gestured to the couches and pulled me with him as he moved around the desk.

We sat on the couches, Issac next to me with Tobias on his other side. Across from us Nina sat in the middle with her twin brother on one side and Rosaline on the other.

"As you know, this war is getting dangerously close." Issac rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. "This is something that my father and others have been planning for years and now that its almost here, we need to make this perfect."

"When are the packs that your gathered to help us coming?" Nina asked, her eyes on Issac.

"Lacus pack is arriving tomorrow." Lucas said, one hand massaging the back of his neck. "I spoke to their Alpha this morning."

"Patet pack is coming within the next three days." Tobias finally spoke. I admired how organized Lucas and Tobias were, they seemed to take their positions seriously.

I recognized the packs they were speaking about. The Lacus pack was the closest, they lived beyond the forests near the great lakes; hence the name Lacus meaning lake. The Patet pack was far if I remembered, living in expansive fields far from other packs; their name, Patet, means plains.

Issac nodded slowly. "Clary is going to help us gain knowledge on pure-bloods." He said. "We have to learn all we can before going up against them."

They all looked to me, their hostile looks gone and the room grew less tense. I remembered back when I first got here, they all considered me friends; I really prayed I could rekindle the trust.

"Well." Nina watched me, her eyes for the first time in weeks gentle and hopeful. "Tell us what we need to know."

I smiled and felt a warmth in my chest. It took only moments for me to realize that it was a feeling of belonging. With the pure-bloods wasn't where I belonged, it was here.



A/N

merry late christmas and happy new year to all my readers! you're amazing!

I haven't really felt a lot of motivation to publish chapters recently because I'm loosing so many votes and I'm not getting any feedback.** If anyone would help promote my books I would dedicate chapters to you or promote you as well!

thanks for reading, vote and comment!