LUX

12. No Spell Can Save Him

~**~

It's a six hour drive from the Forts pack to my home pack, an excruciating long time in the car with my brother who is running off his mouth like he's the Alpha. How he spent weeks looking for me and how I disappointed the pack, how I should have stayed put and obeyed his rules – like his speech meant anything to me.

"You know, if you were a strong and mighty Alpha like you say, you could have found me within hours." It doesn't ease his anger, he continues to list off everything that I've done as a form of disappointment. I can't help but smile because I knew I won.

I try and fall asleep during the long car ride but Isaac isn't having it and wakes me up every time. Apparently I have to hear his ridiculous speech over and over, I don't even think he knows where he's going with it himself.

The pain that I've been feeling the last two days is coming back, the tea Fawn gave me is worn out and the pain is back in full. I don't let on to my brother that I am in any pain, I will myself to ignore the pain like Ryan ignores our bond. I do notice that Isaac's posture has changed, he's leaning over slightly, a groan here and there, and when we stop at the red light he puts his head down on the steering wheel, hissing out the pain.

"What are you doing to me?" He groans. "How are you doing this?" It's me he looks at now, everything I'm feeling is displayed in his face, in his actions. While I've gotten used to the pain of betrayal, Isaac doesn't seem strong enough. If he feels the betrayal of my mate, does he feel everything?

"I don't know." I want to stutter, I'm generally nervous about all of this. What curse is so strong that it's done this to him? And more importantly, who is strong enough? "You feel it all? Even when it started all those days ago?"

One word is muttered out. "Yes."

"Did you know what the cause was?" I ask him. Did he know before I did what was causing this pain? Did he do anything about my mate who left this scar?

"No. Do you?" He asks, it's a struggle for him to get the words out. I don't know if it's because of the pain he's feeling or because he has to ask me.

"Ryan." I answer him. "The moon's punishment for a mate who just loves to betray."

"I still can't believe the bastard marked you." He's saying more to himself then to me. I want to believe that before our falling out, Isaac would have fought harder for me after Ryan took me, and he would have defended me when he marked me without permission. Now, it's just an inconvenience to him, to my dad, they technically don't have control over me, Ryan does. An old tradition that many wolves still believe in – a female the property of their male.

He doesn't say anything else in the car ride home, he just turns up his music as if it will erase the fact that I am here beside him. I spend the time looking out the window, at the scenery passing by, all the places that all have their own stories. I wonder if people have it worse than me? I'm a firm believer that the moon only gives you what you can handle, that this is all for a reason. Maybe I suffer so I can figure out that reason.

Once Isaac pulls his car into the drive way I see my father standing with two warriors. They stand up tall and straight, trying to intimidate. Isaac lets out a huff of breath before he steps out of the car. He walks away without another word, off in the direction of Glenenth's house.

Cautiously I step out of the car, knowing that they have something planned, I was right. Both Warriors jump at me at the same time and pull me back. They weren't expecting the skills I have acquired since leaving this pack. Jax and Emmett taught me enough to hold my ground in this situation. I pull out of their hold and face the three of them head on.