Chapter 0156

Isabella

“Easy now.” Theodore’s voice was soft as I attempted to sit up.

My head spun violently, as if I’d been tossed inside a cyclone.

I shut my eyes and laid back, fighting the dizziness. Even Nyx was silent, which felt deeply unsettling.

I shot upright, scanning for the Rogue when a sharp, blinding pain tore through my leg.

“Gabriel?” I whispered. I was sure I’d heard his name. But everything felt foggy.

“What do you remember?” Theodore asked gently.

“I…um…” I rubbed my temples. Is this what humans felt after trauma? Why wasn’t I healing?

“He was here,” I mumbled. “He covered my mouth. Then I heard screaming. Was it me?”

I glanced around, recognizing the pack clinic. Another jolt of pain shot through my leg.

I yanked the blanket aside. Thick bandages wrapped around my thigh.

“Take them off!” I demanded.

“Isabella, you know that’s not wise.”

“Please, take them off!” I insisted. It couldn’t be real. But deep down, I already knew.

Theodore sighed and slowly unwound the bandages and gauze.

A massive chunk of my thigh was missing. Dried blood coated the skin. Ugly red wounds remained where they’d tried to stitch me back together. It had finally started healing, but it would never be the same.

“I’m sorry, Isabella. We heal, but we can’t regenerate muscle or flesh that’s gone.”

“He bit me? But he was my mate?” Shock rattled me. Gabriel had always been kind. Caring. Attentive. “What happened to him?”

Theodore carefully rebandaged my leg, choosing his words. “He was your mate, a long time ago. But he isn’t that man anymore, Isabella. Or maybe he never was. He was never a Wolf. Doing this… it means he feels nothing for you.”

“What turned him into this?”

“I don’t know.”

I wanted to cry. I wanted to let the tears fall. But they wouldn’t come. Instead, anger surged through me. How could someone be so cruel?

“When you started stirring, I called Zachary.” He gave me a small smile. “Maybe he can make you feel better.”

Zachary. Maybe now he would finally say the words.

“Did you do this?” I asked quietly, gesturing to my bandaged leg.

“I did what I could. Recovery will be long.”

“It’s okay, Theodore. I understand. It’ll be a while before I can walk properly, even after it heals.”

He nodded with a sad smile.

“Thank you, Theodore.”

When Zachary arrived, he stood in the doorway. His hands braced above the frame as he leaned in, gauging whether I wanted him here.

His dark eyes studied me. My heart skipped as his sweet vanilla scent filled the room.

Theodore winked at him and slipped out.

“How are you feeling?” Zachary asked.

“Like crap.”

He nodded and stepped inside. “So you were mated to my little brother.”

“Is that all you have to say? My whole body hurts, Zachary. I just found out my ex-mate did this to me. That he’s your brother. I thought he was a Wolf. I didn’t know he was Lycan. I never saw his Wolf form. We barely even talked about his pack or family.”

“Alexander said you probably didn’t know,” he murmured. “He filled me in. Now it all makes sense.”